Basquiat

Recently stumbled upon this movie called Basquiat in my hard drive. I had no idea what the movie was about but first five minutes into the movie, I knew I am in for something special. The opening scene when Jean Michel Basquiat (Samo) comes out of a cardboard box, then the scene where he makes a painting on the table at a cafe with maple syrup just pulled me into the movie completely. Basquiat, as many would know, was a well-known American Graffiti painter. The movie charts his journey from him being a nobody to him acquiring distinction and the growing emptiness in his character as he moves forward. Interestingly, in his real life, Basquiat did not have a woman called Gina, but in the movie, she plays a highly important character. As I read somewhere on the net, she is actually his alter-ego.And she is made to feel what he is going through subconsciously.

There were two-three really interesting scenes in the movie which I want to mention. One is ofcourse (my favourite) when Basquiat paints over Gina's painting and her dress and while she gets horribly mad at him, he calms her down by saying this, "Jean Michel Basquiat: He says he's jealous of the moon, because you look at it. He's jealous of the sun, because it warms you. He says, "I feel you, even when I'm not feeling you. I talk to you when I'm not talking to you. I love you, even when I'm not loving you."" This scene where he holding her is juxtaposed with his vision where a bird is luring a frog and finally it gobbles up the frog. Highly interesting scenes and really beautiful lines.

Other scene, which is more or less the theme of the movie, is when Basquiat is having a discussion with Andy Warhol where he says that when he was a nobody, people said that he will never make it..After he made it, people said that it would be short-lived and he wouldnt be able to continue. When his success continued, then people started saying that he is losing himself in drugs and alcohol...That's like a universal dilemma for most creative talented people.

Also, just remembered, one of the scenes when Basquiat is doing some work with this sculptor cum electrician in a gallery, this guy says that he is happy that he has never got recognition as that has really helped him develop his skills.

It's a must watch film. Beautiful imagery. Great theme. Biography!