Anyone who had more cinema trips as a New Year’s resolution is in luck, as a new film that’s picked up some very strong reviews is out now in UK cinemas. Peter Hujar’s Day, starring Ben Whishaw, is an adaptation of Linda Rosenkrantz’s book of the same name, and is officially released today (2 January).
Set on a single day in 1974, it re-creates a conversation between Rosenkrantz herself and groundbreaking queer photographer Hujar; with Rebecca Hall and Whishaw starring as the respective pair.
Their chat – in which Hujar shares stories of his encounters with various literary icons – was recorded on audio tape at the time, before being published by Rosenkrantz as a book. Now, courtesy of writer-director Ira Sachs, it has been adapted for the big screen.
The film’s Rotten Tomatoes score is currently a very healthy 91% from 92 reviews, with the consensus reading: “Confined to a limited setting, Peter Hujar’s Day proves surprisingly expansive as director Ira Sachs insightfully captures the repartee between Rebecca Hall and Ben Whishaw at the top of their game.”
Referencing its relatively swift runtime, The Daily Beast called it “a quick 75 minutes of swoonworthy perfection” and “spectacular”; praising the way it “turns a single conversation into the stuff of poignant drama”.
Janus Films
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Vulture, meanwhile, called it a “masterpiece”, while The Wall Street Journal said: “Running only 76 minutes, the movie is a veristic and voluble delight, an exercise in eavesdropping on a pair of smart, funny people who wear posterity – there’s a tape recorder running, after all – with wry lightness.”
The Hollywood Reporter wrote: “Led by a performance of transfixing grace and subtlety from Ben Whishaw in the title role, the diaristic film spins compacted time into something free-flowing, expansive, illuminating and emotionally resonant, all of it achieved with elegant restraint.”
The drama is nominated for five different gongs at the Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Feature, Best Lead Performance for Whishaw and Best Supporting Performance for Hall. For his performance, Whishaw has already picked up Best Actor at the Gijón International Film Festival.
Janus Films
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Elsewhere, the Paddington star was confirmed late last year to be hard at work on the second season of Netflix hit Black Doves, in which he stars alongside Keira Knightley, Sarah Lancashire, Kathryn Hunter and Andrew Buchan.
New additions to the cast for the upcoming episodes include Ambika Mod, Sam Riley, Babou Ceesay and Neve Campbell.
Peter Hujar’s Day is out now in UK cinemas.
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Shaun is an Evening News Editor at Digital Spy, with over a decade of experience reporting on all things pop culture. He has written for outlets including Metro, Attitude, Huffington Post, The Mirror, Yahoo!, Pink News and Express Online; specialising in TV, movies, soaps, music and LGBTQ+ issues. He is also a BAFTA Rocliffe-winning scriptwriter, having written episodes of the soap Hollyoaks, the official Steps musical Here & Now and multiple Offie Award-nominated plays. He studied English Literature and Drama at the University of East Anglia, and will happily talk at length about Desperate Housewives to anyone who’ll listen.