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Boom For Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat

An artist and the city that made him

An intriguing exploration of the celebrated American artist’s life and influences in the late ‘70s, before he got famous, and how the era, the art scene, the music, the energy and the people of New York City (before the me-first ‘80s) shaped his art. In fact, the film is almost more about the city than about its subject, who sometimes merely (and perhaps fittingly) hovers around the edges. Fascinating either way. Director Sara Driver, who was there at the time, includes archival footage and interviews with those who knew him: Jim Jarmusch, Glenn O’Brien, Fab 5 Freddy, Lee Quinones, Alexis Adler. (78 min)