Downtown 81(2001)

Name: Downtown 81
Director: Edo Bertoglio
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Music
Released: Jul 13, 2001
Cast: Jean Michel Basquiat, John Lurie, Richard Weigand

Zeitgeist Films

1h 12m

Release Date: Jul 13, 2001

After being released from the hospital, the artist Jean Michel Basquiat wanders around Manhattan trying to sell art to make money and find a place to stay.

Release Details

Original Release | Jul 13, 2001 | Limited

2019 Re-release | Oct 25, 2019 | Limited (Metrograph Pictures)

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Box Office Results

All Releases (2)
Total US & Canada:
$231,445
Total International
$0
Total Worldwide:
$231,445

Total US & Canada:
$11,436
Total Worldwide:
$11,436

Current Showtimes

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Director & Top Cast

Edo Bertoglio
Director

Jean Michel Basquiat
Jean

John Lurie
Self

Richard Weigand
Doctor

Technical Specifications

Sound Mix: Dolby

Aspect Ratio: 1.66 : 1

Other Details

Country of Origin: United States

Language: English

Summaries

Storyline

Jean Michel Basquiat wanders around Manhattan trying to sell art to make money and find a place to stay. The film is a day in the life of a young artist, Jean Michel Basquiat, who needs to raise money to reclaim the apartment from which he has been evicted. He wanders the downtown streets carrying a painting he hopes to sell, encountering friends, whose lives (and performances) we peek into. He finally manages to sell his painting to a wealthy female admirer, but he's paid by check. Low on cash, he spends the evening wandering from club to club, looking for a beautiful girl he had met earlier, so he'll have a place to spend the night. Downtown 81 not only captures one of the most interesting and lively artists of the twentieth century as he is poised for fame, but it is a slice of life from one of the most exciting periods in American culture, with the emergence of new wave music, new painting, hip hop and graffiti. — Sujit R. Varma