''Mapplethorpe'' is a 2018 American

biographical drama A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a Nonfiction, non-fictional or History, historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. The ...

film written and directed by

Ondi Timoner Ondi Doane Timoner is an American filmmaker and the founder and chief executive officer of Interloper Films, a full-service production company located in Pasadena, California. Timoner is a two-time recipient of the Sundance Film Festival's ...

about the life of photographer

Robert Mapplethorpe Robert Michael Mapplethorpe (; November 4, 1946 – March 9, 1989) was an American photographer, best known for his black-and-white photographs. His work featured an array of subjects, including celebrity portraits, male and female nudes, self-p ...

. Shooting began on July 11, 2017 in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and lasted only 19 days. It premiered at the 2018

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by TriBeCa Productions, Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive progra ...

Premise

The film depicts the life of Robert Mapplethorpe, a photographer who transformed taboo subjects like gay sex,

Satanism Satanism is a group of ideological and philosophical beliefs based on Satan. Contemporary religious practice of Satanism began with the founding of the atheistic Church of Satan by Anton LaVey in the United States in 1966, although a few hi ...

, and bondage into beautiful black-and-white images.

Cast

Matt Smith Matthew Robert Smith (born 28 October 1982) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as the Eleventh Doctor, eleventh incarnation of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the BBC series ''Doctor Who'' (2010–2013), Daemon Targarye ...

McKinley Belcher III McKinley Belcher III (born March 23, 1984) is an American actor, known for his starring role as Samuel Diggs in the PBS television series ''Mercy Street'', Anthony Carter in the Fox genre drama ''The Passage'', and as Agent Trevor Evans in Netf ...

as Milton Moore *

Carolyn McCormick Carolyn Inez McCormick (born September 19, 1959) is an American actress who played Dr. Elizabeth Olivet in the ''Law & Order'' franchise. Life and career McCormick was born and raised in Midland, Texas, and graduated first in her class from ...

as Joan Mapplethorpe *

John Benjamin Hickey John Benjamin Hickey (born June 25, 1963) is an American actor with a career in stage, film and television. He won the 2011 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play for his performance as Felix Turner in ''The Normal Heart''. ...

Sam Wagstaff Samuel Jones Wagstaff Jr. (November 4, 1921 – January 14, 1987) was an American art curator and collecting, collector as well as the artistic mentor and benefactor of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe (who was also his lifetime companion) and po ...

Tina Benko Tina Benko is an American actress and acting teacher known for her roles in film, theatre, and television. Early life Benko was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Career Benko was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award for her portrayal of Jacq ...

as Sandy Daley *

Brian Stokes Mitchell Brian Stokes Mitchell (born October 31, 1957) is an American actor and singer. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theater since the 1990s. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2000 for ...

as Father Stack * Marianne Rendón as

Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter and author who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album '' Horses''. Called the "punk poe ...

Kerry Butler Kerry Butler is an American actress and singer known primarily for her work in theatre. She is best known for originating the roles of Barbara Maitland in ''Beetlejuice'', Penny Pingleton in ''Hairspray'', and Clio/Kira in '' Xanadu'', the latt ...

as Holly Solomon * Thomas Philip O'Neill as David Croland *

John Bolton John Robert Bolton (born November 20, 1948) is an American attorney, diplomat, Republican consultant, and political commentator. He served as the 25th United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 2005 to 2006, and as the 26th United Stat ...

as Harold Jones *

Karan Oberoi Karan B Oberoi is an Indian singer, anchor and television actor. He is known for being a part of an Indipop boy band, A Band Of Boys, formed in 2001 and for playing the role of Raghav in ''Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin'' (2003–06). The band was form ...

as Emilio Acquavella * Logan Smith as Young Robert *

Mark Moses Mark W. Moses (born February 24, 1958) is an American actor, best known for his roles as Paul Young in the ABC comedy-drama ''Desperate Housewives'' (2004–2011) and as Herman "Duck" Phillips in the AMC period drama ''Mad Men'' (2007–2014). ...

as Harry Mapplethorpe *

Brandon Sklenar Brandon Sklenar is an American actor best known for his roles in the films '' Midway'', '' Mapplethorpe'', ''Vice'' and ''1923''. Early life and education Sklenar was born and raised in Northern New Jersey to Bruce Feakins and Francine Sklen ...

as Edward Mapplethorpe * Jason Lopez as Tom Baril * Anthony Michael Lopez as

Jack Fritscher John Joseph "Jack" Fritscher (born June 20, 1939) is an American author, university professor, historian, and social activist known internationally for his fiction, erotica and non-fiction analyses of popular culture and gay male culture. A pre-S ...

Hari Nef Hari Nef (born October 21, 1992) is an American actress, model, and writer. Nef's breakthrough role was Gittel in the Amazon original series '' Transparent'', for which she was nominated for a SAG award in 2016. She made her runway debut at New ...

as Tinkerbelle * Martin Axon as Martin Axon * Mickey O'Hagan as Tina Summerlin

Reception

The

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

said that the film fails to capture the controversial nature of Mapplethorpe's work and portrays him as a role model who found his way into the elitist art world. Although the film is not as provocative as Mapplethorpe's photographs, it contains several hardcore scenes, and Matt Smith plays the artist's role until his death in 1989. RogerEbert.com have a 3-star rating and stated that while the biopic follows a standard format of recounting the life of Robert Mapplethorpe, it stands out in the portrayal of the relationships between artists and their creative processes. The article also praises Matt Smith's performance for its realism and unglamorous portrayal of Mapplethorpe. ''Mapplethorpe'' has received six Audience Awards at

Sidewalk Film Festival The Sidewalk Film Festival is an annual film festival taking place during the last weekend in August in the Theatre District of Birmingham, Alabama, since 1999. The festival typically screens at seven venues located within downtown Birmingham, fea ...

, All Genders Lifestyles and Identities Film Festival, Key West Film Festival, Long Beach Q Film Festival, Oslo/Fusion International Film Festival, Out on Film Atlanta Film Festival, and Best LGBTQ Film at Key West Int'l Film Festival, Best Director at Long Beach Int'l Film Festival, Best Feature Film and Best Director at the Queen Palm International Film Festival and Best Feature Film and Best Director at the Hollywood Women's Film Festival.

Releases

A director's cut was released in April 2021 with "restored scenes depicting Mapplethorpe’s childhood love of photography, his embattled relationship with his father, and his lingering, ambivalent connection to the Catholic faith".

References

External links

* * * 2018 films 2018 biographical drama films 2018 drama films 2018 LGBT-related films American biographical drama films American LGBT-related films Biographical films about photographers Films scored by Marcelo Zarvos Films set in the 20th century Films shot in New York City LGBT-related drama films Biographical films about LGBT people Samuel Goldwyn Films films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films {{2010s-drama-film-stub