Synopsis
In the years before Ronald Reagan took office, Manhattan was in ruins. But true art has never come from comfort, and it was precisely those dire circumstances that inspired artists like Jim Jarmusch, Lizzy Borden, and Amos Poe to produce some of their best works. Taking their cues from punk rock and new wave music, these young maverick filmmakers confronted viewers with a stark reality that stood in powerful contrast to the escapist product being churned out by Hollywood.
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Cast
- Amos PoeSelf
- Ann MagnusonSelf
- Becky JohnstonSelf
- Bette GordonSelf
- Beth BSelf
- Casandra StarkSelf
- Charlie AhearnSelf
- DazeSelf
- Debbie HarrySelf
- Eric MitchellSelf
Recommendations
- 90
The New York Times
Ms. Danhier manages to conjure a glorious and grungy bygone past without fetishizing it as a golden age. A bunch of people got together and did some stuff, and this is what it looked like. - 83
The A.V. Club
In the end, Blank City becomes not just a salute to the artistic adventurousness of a bygone New York, but a reminder that new strains of creativity keep emerging, just when the scene looks stalest. - 80
Time Out
Names get checked, baby-faced future celebrities like Vincent Gallo and Steve Buscemi make cameos, and various cross-pollinations between below–14th Street mavericks are clarified. - 75
New York Post
Does a first-rate job of remembering. - 70
The Hollywood Reporter
Blank City may not be groundbreaking, but it's vibrant and well researched. - 70
Los Angeles Times
The doc flags toward the end, but it remains an absorbing snapshot of a daring time. - 60
Movieline
Though the film concerns events contained within the roughly 50 square blocks of the East Village, it suffers from the narrative equivalent of urban sprawl. - 60
New York Daily News
Danhier backs all the memories with a collection of great clips, and it's extra fun to spot familiar faces (hi, Steve Buscemi!).
