He arrives in New York, makes friends with Patti Smith and (Marianne Rendón), comes out as gay, and proceeds to make a career out of photographing celebrities and hardcore BDSM situations in black and white. Matt Smith plays Robert Mapplethorpe, the ultra-ambitious, egotistical, and temperamental photographer. Ultimately, the movie played the festival circuit before disappearing into a lukewarm reception.įlash forward to 2021, and Timoner finally had the opportunity to release her cut of the film. The film, directed by Ondi Timoner, underwent key edits after disputes arose between the director and producers. Today’s case in point: Mapplethorpe, the 2018 biopic of the titular artist, a man that specialized in homoerotic visuals. Movies often have bumpy journeys to the screen, especially when dealing with sexual subject matter. The Kinky: Mapplethorpe – The Director’s Cut Welcome to Screen Gems, our weekend dive into queer and queer-adjacent titles of the past that deserve a watch or a re-watch.
