"Basquiat", a Julian Schnabel film, tells an account of Jean Michel Basquiat, a Dominican Republican who emerges from the ghettos of New York City. The plot encompasses how Basquiat proves himself as a great artist. Through his journey of renown, drugs transform him and his relationships with others change for the worse.
The film opens with a young Basquiat and his mother. As they look at a famous painting by Picasso, a crown is placed over Basquiat’s head. The crown indicates that he will someday be a great artist. The movie then flashes forward to Basquiat(Jeffrey Wright) when he is nineteen year old and spends his nights sleeping on the streets. He gazes into the sky where he sees a man surfing on waves. This imagery symbolizes Basquiat’s desire for fame. Benny (Benicio Del Toro) warns Basquiat evils of fame and power. “People will start to love you at first but they will all start to hate you eventually”. Basquiat ignores Benny’s word and continues to display his art. As he paints on his girlfriend’s clothes or creates graffiti on the streets, Rene eventually discovers the splendor of his work and decides to invest money for Basquiat to get started.
Basquiat finds out that artistic beauty is “only worth by how much you can get for it” and he is getting thousands of dollars for each work. Basquiat gains the recognition of others, as he becomes a household name. Basquiat, However, feels the urge prove himself. An interviewer (Christopher Walken) in a television report questions Basquiat’s credibility due to his background. The interviewer also asks questions like “How do you feel that your mother is in a mental institution” that offends Basquiat. Another point where Basquiat faces racism was when a group of white men ridicule Basquiat at a restaurant.
With a capitalistic philosophy, Basquiat loses all of the people who were close to him. He stops practicing music with Benny in order to devote more time to painting. After being insulted by Basquiat, Benny refuses to talk to his renowned friend. Basquiat starts cheating on Gina by having an affair with Big Pink/Madonna (Courtney Love). Gina finds out when Big Pink reclaims a scarf that Basquiat had given to Gina as a present. Basquiat also gives away a painting made to Rene Richards in order to get a world tour. Eventually, Basquiat finds himself with no friends except for Andy Worhall (David Bowie), who is the only one who understands the beauty of his art.
However as the movie progresses, Basquiat becomes more depressed and starts to experiment with drugs. Sometimes, Basquiat decided to crash in Benny’s place and use cocaine. As he did drugs, he did not know the effects it inflicted upon him. Doing the drugs may have brought out the best in Basquiat’s work. He was doing drugs while he was painting. However, his addiction got worse. Gina was shocked when she found a needle on the ground, indicating that Basquiat was doing heroin. After Andy Worhall died, Basquiat decides to give up art and his friendship with Benny is mended. He eventually dies of heroin overdose when he was twenty-seven.
The directing of Basquiat was excellent. Acting by Jeffrey Wright as well as the background music helped the viewer understand what Basquiat was thinking throughout the movie. Interesting imagery such as the crown and surfer indicated foreshadowing of the artist’s fame.

Recommended:
No

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: None of the Above
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older