From the early '70s until his untimely death at age 42, "Mapplethorpe," directed by Ondi Timoner, explores the intersection of Robert Mapplethorpe's art and sexuality, his struggle for mainstream recognition, and, looming above it all, the specter of the emerging AIDS crisis. Featuring Matt Smith ("Doctor Who," "The Crown") and Marianne Rendón, the biopic offers a nuanced portrait of an artist at the height of his craft and of the self-destructive impulses that threaten to undermine it all.
‘Mapplethorpe’s’ Matt Smith skillfully evokes the boundary-pushing photographer
Timoner has crafted a stylish, evocative, absorbing snapshot of creative expression, artistic ambition, sexuality and eroticism.” - Los Angeles Times
“MAPPLETHORPE” is Explicit, Shocking & Exciting
“You will love this film and will not be able to take your eyes off the screen. It is powerful, moving and eye-opening.” - Irish Film Critic
The Crown’s Matt Smith Stars as Enfant Terrible Robert Mapplethorpe in a New Biopic
“To call Smith’s portrayal convincing would be an understatement, especially given the fact that the film was shot over a period of only 19 days. He embodies Mapplethorpe’s tortured Jekyll-and-Hyde personality with a hard-edged grace that presents him as a brilliant artist with fiercely held beliefs, whose worldview seems, at times, entirely shakeable and childlike. As Timoner correctly noted, “I doubt there’s been a role that Matt’s played that has this many dimensions to it, this many contradictions.”– Vogue
“MAPPLETHORPE” is Timoner’s first scripted feature, but her experience as a documentarian proved indispensable during the shoot.
“To be able to know when there was an authentic take, to be able to condense three scenes into one really quickly – we had 19 days to shoot it, so sometimes I just had to wing it!” she admitted, laughing. “But in documentary, you constantly have to think on your feet, and as an editor, I was especially prepared. I knew what would cut together.”– Variety
Photo: NPR