Mapplethorpe (film)

Mapplethorpe is a 2018 American biographical drama film written and directed by Ondi Timoner about the life of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. Shooting began on July 11, 2017 in New York and lasted only 19 days. It premiered at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival.

Premise
The film depicts the life of Robert Mapplethorpe, a photographer who transformed taboo subjects like gay sex, Satanism, and bondage into beautiful black-and-white images.

Cast

 * Matt Smith as Robert Mapplethorpe
 * McKinley Belcher III as Milton Moore
 * Carolyn McCormick as Joan Mapplethorpe
 * John Benjamin Hickey as Sam Wagstaff
 * Tina Benko as Sandy Daley
 * Brian Stokes Mitchell as Father Stack
 * Marianne Rendón as Patti Smith
 * Kerry Butler as Holly Solomon
 * Thomas Philip O'Neill as David Croland
 * John Bolton as Harold Jones
 * Karan Oberoi as Emilio Acquavella
 * Logan Smith as Young Robert
 * Mark Moses as Harry Mapplethorpe
 * Brandon Sklenar as Edward Mapplethorpe
 * Jason Lopez as Tom Baril
 * Anthony Michael Lopez as Jack Fritscher
 * Hari Nef as Tinkerbelle
 * Martin Axon as Martin Axon
 * Mickey O'Hagan as Tina Summerlin

Reception
Variety 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 has 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 Tribeca Film Festival, Sidewalk Film Festival, 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".