Rebecca Hall: We lost counterculture somewhere along the way'

"Simply by invoking those people and places without ever leaving Hujar's apartment in the legendary Westbeth Artists Community the film evokes the essence of New York in the era of Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgwick. Hujar was a master portraitist, and both his photographs and the film's dialogue reveal why: he drew meaning from every second spent with someone."

"His work is poetry, says Sachs. His photograph Orgasmic Man? It represents an art and an artist who was honest and different, the kind of art you don't see that much anymore."

Peter Hujar's Day is a 75-minute film by director Ira Sachs featuring actors Ben Whishaw and Rebecca Hall performing a transcript of a real 1974 conversation between photographer Peter Hujar and writer Linda Rosenkrantz. Set in Hujar's apartment at the legendary Westbeth Artists Community, the dialogue references 70 to 80 names from downtown Manhattan's vibrant artistic world, evoking the era of Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgwick. Hujar, a master portraitist, drew profound meaning from his interactions with others, creating honest and distinctive work. The film resonates with actress Rebecca Hall, who has recently stepped forward as a director with her film Passing, reflecting her lifelong passion for both acting and painting.

Read at english.elpais.com