The Graffiti Artist
Directed by James Bolton
USA, 2004, Beta SP, 80 minutes
Don't delay! Get your tickets today!
Past Screening
SHOWTIMES:
SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 2005
1:30PM
Main Art Theatre, Royal Oak
Youth After Party 4-11pm:
After the films don’t miss the fun, music and food at the Reel Pride Michigan Youth AfterParty with your friends from Affirmations Lesbian and Gay Community Center and the Ruth Ellis Center.
Hosted at Affirmations Lesbian and Gay Community Center following the 1:30pm screening of The Graffiti Artist.195 West Nine Mile Road in Ferndale, MI 48220
|
The Graffiti Artist (free to youth under 21*)
Nick is a teenage loner who scours the streets of Portland for his next “canvas”—the side of a building, train car, or overpass—where he spray paints RUPTURE, his tagger name. When Nick isn’t tagging, he’s shoplifting aerosol paint and big fat markers, or documenting his graffiti in a scrapbook. He’s a brooding guy with soulful eyes that could be displaying deep longing—or acute disconnection.
It turns out there’s a warrant for Nick’s arrest in Portland, so he heads to Seattle, where he meets Jesse, another tagger he’s seen around. The two start “kicking it” and begin a dynamic artistic collaboration. Nick crashes at Jesse’s studio apartment, and it isn’t long before they’re sharing the sofa bed and much more.
But skater-boy graffiti artist love is fragile, and soon Jesse mysteriously flees the relationship and heads back to Portland, promising to return. Eventually it sinks in that Jesse isn’t coming back, so Nick risks returning to Portland to accost him. They eventually cross paths, and when Nick confronts him, Jesse acts distant and weird. This triggers an angry clash that unearths fundamental cultural and artistic differences between the boys. It’s also the first time their conversation moves beyond “S’up?” and we get a brief glimpse into the inner lives of these solitary artists.
Playing with The Graffiti Artist: In Any House
Directed by Luis Ulloa
USA, 2003, video, 13 minutes
The unexpected coming out of a young Mexican man is seen from his father’s perspective.
* Free tickets for youth for these two screenings are available ONLY at the door. |
