December 29, 1998 -- "High Art," is a love story about self-destructive people who live their lives in a drug-induced haze. Because they so blatantly disregard their own health and sanity it is difficult to feel sorry for them.

Because this film is a freak show of sorts, the viewer becomes a voyeur, watching as the freaks snort coke, shoot heroine, drink, smoke and have sex. In fact, if this film was pushed a little farther, it could be high-class pornography, but it pulls back from that. Instead, it dwells on the tempermental nature of artists and the thin line between madness and genius.

Ally Sheedy stars as the artist Lucy Berliner, a photographer who appears to be taking effortless snapshots that are hailed as High Art. Due to her sensitive artistic nature, she has retired from what she calls commercial photography, until she is re-discovered by the ambitious Syd (Radha Mitchell of "Love and Other Catastrophes"), an assistant editor at Frame, a photo art magazine.

Syd, who is a woman who is not entirely heterosexual, falls in love, or at least lust, with Lucy, even as she plots to use Lucy's photos to advance her career at Frame. Lucy is already involved with Greta (Patricia Clarkson "Jumanji"), a spaced out actress from Germany. Greta and Lucy live in a sort of drug commune apartment upstairs from Syd and her boyfriend where the party never seems to end.

Syd arranges a meeting between Lucy and the photo editors of Frame where Lucy agrees to do a cover shoot if Syd will be her editor. The two go away together to the country to do the photo shoot, which turns out to be a few High Art snapshots, sort of like granny taking pictures of her cute cat, except for the sex afterward.

Everything seems to be going peachy, the women are in love, Syd's got the photo spread and Lucy is temporarily off drugs. However, the sudden effort of taking those snapshots throws the sensitive Lucy into a funk, oh dear!

As you can probably tell, this is a chick flick, written and directed by Lisa Cholodenko, who is, no doubt, quite sensitive. All the men in the film are shallow, self-centered and, of course, insensitive, but the two main characters are well-drawn. Clarkson, who plays Greta, is also quite good as the spaced-out, jealous drug addict. Sheedy is very good as the assertive, but vulnerable, Lucy. She has come a long way since those "Breakfast Club," and "St. Elmo's Fire" days. More recent work in "Home Alone 2" and "Only the Lonely," didn't hint that she could do this role. Radha Mitchell (Syd) is also quite good as the scheming, but naive assistant editor. This film rates a C+.

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