Playing at the Film Forum (209 W Houston St btw 6th Ave & Varick St). The documentary premiered on July 21st & ran for a limited time (2 wks).

The film tells the story of Jean Michel Basquiat. The film includes actual live footage from Jean Michel’s friend & film director, Tamra Davis. Tamra was a film student when she met Jean Michel in LA. She would shoot Jean while he painted in his LA Studio & one day ask him to sit down & do a small Q&A. She never showed the footage, and it was locked away for over 20 yrs.

We see interviews from Jean Michel’s ex-girlfriend’s, ex-partner – when he went by the name, SAMO, managers, and close friends. They talk about how they first met Jean. And his introduction to the Downtown 500. The hype he created when he started tagging SAMO everywhere. And his close relationship with, Andy Warhol.

You hear the discussions on how profound and advanced Jean Michel was, solidifying to me that he was a genius, introduced to us before our time. They breakdown the inspirations behind most of his pieces; with explanations ranging from racism, promiscuity & his affair with Madonna, a childhood accident, his favorite artists, as well as some of his favorite musicians (classical to Bee bop).

The film is about 90 mins in duration. It touches on a lot of factors that contributed to the personality of Jean Michel, as well as theory on what factors lead to his sudden death at a tender age of 25 years old.

Overall, this film is a must-see or a DVD to have. Please check the website for the film’s tour dates & expected DVD release date.

http://jean-michelbasquiattheradiantchild.com/