BOOM FOR REAL: THE LATE TEENAGE YEARS OF JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT

BOOM FOR REAL: THE LATE TEENAGE YEARS OF JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT, 2017
USA | HDD, Color, 78’ | English
Director: Sara Driver

The documentary focuses on the pre-fame years of American street artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, who died in 1988 at the age of 27. We watch how the culture and art environment in the cloisters of New York shaped Basquiat, who was then a homeless boy, and what Basquiat added to that scene. We listen to stories about Basquiat, told by friends and partners who knew him such as rapper Fab 5 Freddy, director Jim Jarmusch, and graffiti artist Lee Quiñones. Although the documentary includes archival footage of Basquiat, we never hear his voice, which adds an additional layer of mystery to his character. The documentary is a heartfelt homage to an artist whose art is still groundbreaking, and who has accomplished everything he did in a world that was still not sympathetic to blacks.