Loving Highsmith

LOVING HIGHSMITH: intimate and revelatory

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Photo caption: Patricia Highsmith in LOVING HIGHSMITH. Courtesy of Frameline.

In the revelatory biodoc Loving Highsmith, documentarian Eva Vitija reveals intimate perspectives on the iconic author. Patricia Highsmith’s novels were turned into twisted movie thrillers that include Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train and all the Tom Ripley movies, as well as the queer memoir Carol.

Vitija has sourced Loving Highsmith with the firsthand memories of Highsmith’s last live-in lover Marijean Meaker, her Berlin lover Tabea Blumenshein, her Paris friend Monique Buffet, and members of Highsmith’s rodeo-focused Texas family. The insights include:

  • Highsmith’s Texas roots.
  • Her heartbreakingly one-way relations with her mother.
  • The origin of the Tom Ripley character.
  • Her intentionality in crafting the ending of Carol.
  • Her obsession with her married secret London lover.

Even those who are familiar with Highsmith will be impressed with this 360-degree portrait. I screened Loving Highsmith for this year’s Frameline in June; it’s now in theaters.

Frameline 2022: four recommendations

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Lina Al Arabi in BESTIES. Courtesy of Frameline.

San Francisco’s Frameline —the world’s largest LGBTQ film festival—opens today and runs through Sunday, June 26, 2022. Last week, I previewed the fest, and, today, here are my recommendations:

  • Besties: This stellar French coming-of-age film is a showcase for star Lina Al Arabi’s magnetism and writer-director Marion Desseigne-Ravel’s storytelling.
  • Loving Highsmith::This biodoc of the iconic novelist Patricia Highmith (Strangers on a Train, Carol) is filled with intimacies revealed.
  • The Sixth Reel: This endearing madcap comedy is set in the insular world of classic movie geeks – with a touch of drag.
  • Unidentified Objects: This Odd-Couple-On-A-Roadtrip dramedy takes us on a singular journey – from the offbeat through the surreal to the redemptive.

I love the tagline to this year’s Frameline: The Coast Is Queer. If you can’t make it to the theaters, The Sixth Reel and Unidentified Objects are streaming in Frameline’s Digital Streaming Room. Buy tickets at Frameline.

Patricia Highsmith in LOVING HIGHSMITH. Courtesy of Frameline.

LOVING HIGHSMITH: intimate and revelatory

by
Photo caption: Patricia Highsmith in LOVING HIGHSMITH. Courtesy of Frameline.

In the revelatory biodoc Loving Highsmith, documentarian Eva Vitija reveals intimate perspectives on the iconic author. Patricia Highsmith’s novels were turned into twisted movie thrillers that include Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train and all the Tom Ripley movies, as well as the queer memoir Carol.

Vitija has sourced Loving Highsmith with the firsthand memories of Highsmith’s last live-in lover Marijean Meaker, her Berlin lover Tabea Blumenshein, her Paris friend Monique Buffet, and members of Highsmith’s rodeo-focused Texas family. The insights include:

  • Highsmith’s Texas roots.
  • Her heartbreakingly one-way relations with her mother.
  • The origin of the Tom Ripley character.
  • Her intentionality in crafting the ending of Carol.
  • Her obsession with her married secret London lover.

Even those who are familiar with Highsmith will be impressed with this 360-degree portrait. Loving Highsmith plays this year’s Frameline on June 21 at the Castro.