High Art Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

High Art Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 7, 2026

Lisa Cholodenko's "High Art" (1998) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include new program with Radha Mitchell and Ally Sheedy; new program with Lisa Cholodenko and Karyn Kusama; short film; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Several viewings of High Art can reveal an interesting paradox. The best parts of High Art are the least polished, the ones where the camera seems to be guessing how to move and the stars have nothing to say. These are the parts that produce the most authentic footage. The most polished parts, where the camera has chosen the perfect angle to observe the stars as they engage each other and describe how they feel, can appear quite sterile. All of this contrasting material is evenly divided, making it pretty easy to guess that High Art was directed by an inexperienced filmmaker.

In New York, Syd (Radha Mitchell), a hard-working magazine editor, shares an apartment with her supportive boyfriend, James (Gabriel Mann). When their bathroom ceiling starts leaking, Syd rushes upstairs and rings the doorbell of her neighbor, Lucy Berliner (Ally Sheedy), a heroin addict, who lives with her lover, Greta (Patricia Clarkson), an aging actress and even bigger heroin addict. Syd and Lucy instantly connect. Soon after, Syd discovers that Lucy is a retired photographer and proposes to use her work.

A few samples easily convince Syd’s bosses that Lucy is worth giving a chance. However, Syd must convince her to meet a short deadline. In the days ahead, Syd and Lucy begin spending time together, slowly drifting away from their current relationships. Syd then breaks up with James, while Greta, sensing that she is losing Lucy, nearly dies after shooting a massive dose of heroin. Following a short trip where Syd and Lucy make love and Lucy takes pictures of Syd for her magazine, a major reset involving Greta becomes inevitable.

It makes perfect sense that Rainer Werner Fassbinder is mentioned several times, because his films frequently produced very similar characters. Greta is supposed to have appeared in a few of them, too. However, the characters of Fassbinder’s films do not willingly self-destruct with dangerous addictions. Typically, it is the frustration with their controlled environment that fuels their desire to play Russian Roulette with their lives.

In High Art, the drugs are a deadly luxury, and all characters feel very comfortable in their environment. They are not suicidal. They want to love and be loved, and they have options. If they choose right, they can be in meaningful relationships and discover happiness. After Syd meets Lucy, for a short time, it looks as though the two can have a meaningful relationship, bringing true happiness to their lives.

However, it all falls apart. It is hardly surprising, but it is extremely sad to see how love is effectively defeated by drugs because the people who are supposed to want it give up on it. It is the same old story. High Art simply offers a deceivingly beautiful yet bruising variation of it.

Mitchell and Sheedy give good performances, but the screenplay works against them. There is so much more that could have been done to explore their relationship and convince that the binary choice before them would produce a permanent outcome. Clarkson, sadly, mishandles her character.

High Art Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, High Art arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this release:

"Supervised and approved by director Lisa Cholodenko, this new 4K restoration was undertaken by the Academy Film Archive and the UCLA Film & Television Archive, in conjunction with the Sundance Institute, using the 35mm original camera negative. The 5.1 soundtrack was remastered from the DA-88 edit masters and mix masters. Funding was provided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Frameline, the Sundance Institute, and the UCLA Film & Television Archive, with laboratory services by Roundabout Entertainment, Red Hook Post, and Monkeyland Audio."

The new restoration is disappointing. It produces healthy visuals, often boasting great delineation and depth, but with a problematic color timing. The main offender is prominent teal again, which destabilizes several primaries and various supporting nuances. As a result, the entire film has an unmissable cool appearance, which can be quite distracting as well. In a few darker areas, the problematic color timing even affects the dynamic range of the visuals. (For reference, the tealing is very similar to that observed on the recent, equally disappointing restorations of Testament and Night Moves). There are no traces of any problematic digital corrections. Image stability is outstanding. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

High Art Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The new 5.1 track is very good. However, the music creates the most meaningful dynamic contrasts, which means that dynamic intensity is pretty unremarkable. The dialogue is clear, sharp, and very easy to follow. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

High Art Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Lisa Cholodenko and Karyn Kusama - in this new program, Lisa Cholodenko and Karyn Kusama discuss the production of High Art and the independent film scene of the past and present. In English, not subtitled. (35 min).

• Ally Sheedy and Radha Mitchell - in this new program, Ally Sheedy and Radha Mitchell discuss their backgrounds and careers and comment on their contributions to High Art. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• The Photographs of "High Art" - in this new program, photographer JoJo Whilden discusses the fictional Lucy Berliner's portfolio she created for High Art. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Dinner Party - presented here is Lisa Cholodenko's short film Dinner Party, which was released a year before High Art. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (10 min).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic B. Ruby Rich and technical credits.

High Art Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Drugs kill. This is not some groundbreaking revelation. But they kill only when they are allowed to by weak people. The most effective antidote for drugs has always been love. However, the people who need help to overcome a drug addiction must genuinely want love in their lives, or they cannot be helped with it. It is this simple. High Art is about drugs and love, and people who must choose which of the two belongs in their lives. It has been newly restored, but it does not look right on this Blu-ray release.