Boom For Real: The Late Teenage Years Of Jean-Michel Basquiat

Boom For Real: The Late Teenage Years Of Jean-Michel Basquiat is a biographical documentary that explores the early life and formative years of famed American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Released in 2017, the film is directed by Sara Driver and features appearances by key figures in Basquiat's life, including Alexis Adler, Fab 5 Freddy, and Basquiat himself.

The film takes viewers back to the raw and dynamic Lower East Side of the late 1970s and early 80s. This is a period of New York’s history marked by scarcity, the free trade of ideas, poverty, excess and possibility. This environment became a powerful catalyst for the young Basquiat. Boom For Real focuses on the years preceding Basquiat’s meteoric rise in the art world, capturing the cultural shift that made the creation of his revolutionary, post-modernist work possible.

Sara Driver artfully weaves together a tapestry of archival footage, interviews, and observations from those who knew Basquiat personally. Alexis Adler, a former lover and confidant of Basquiat’s, brings a unique perspective to the narrative. As Basquiat’s roommate, she offers an intimate view of his early career before his ascendence to fame in the global art world. Fab 5 Freddy, a prominent figure in the hip-hop community, recalls the artist's early graffiti endeavors under the pseudonym “SAMO”. Fab 5 Freddy provides insight into how Basquiat's work was influenced by and intertwined with the street culture of the time.

Boom For Real offers a vivid picture of the pre-AIDS, post-punk, graffiti-riddled New York landscape that formed Basquiat's playground and creative crucible. It recreates a zeitgeist of social and cultural revolution, which shaped the young Basquiat and other artists and creatives he mingled with, including rock bands, filmmakers, visual artists, writers, and performers. The film's atmospheric style evokes the era's tangible sense of creative freedom and exploration that enabled Basquiat's unprecedented visual language to emerge and flourish.

Sara Driver’s in-depth treatment of this period in Basquiat's life makes this documentary valuable for not just art enthusiasts, but also those interested in contemporary social history. With careful research and meticulous attention to detail, Driver paints a narrative that is as rich and complex as Basquiat’s own artwork. It brings to light the complexities of Basquiat as a young man – exploring his creativity, drive, and influences while skilfully avoiding the tropes often associated with depictions of troubled geniuses.

Beyond an exploration of Basquiat himself, the film also offers a broad retrospective of alternative culture, stemming intricate webs from Basquiat’s artistic circle to contextualize the artist within the spectrum of punk rock, early hip-hop, street art and the avant-garde cinema. It demonstrates how Basquiat was both a product of and a participant in this vibrant era, pushing the boundaries of art and creating an impact that still reverberates today.

As a film, Boom For Real stands not only as an appreciation of Basquiat’s work but also as a celebration of a vibrant period of New York’s cultural history. It successfully balances ambition with insight, giving the viewer a vivid look at the raw energy and burgeoning creativity of an era and the artist who embodied it. Although it’s a documentary about one man’s life, it’s imbued with the spirit of an entire generation; thus, presenting an all-encompassing tribute to a fascinating historical period.

In conclusion, Boom For Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat is an illuminating and immersive portrait of a young artist in the making within a time and place brimming with inspiration. The film presents an intimate exploration of Basquiat’s formative years and the energetic, often chaotic world he inhabited during an era of seismic cultural shifts. It’s a must-see for fans of Basquiat, aficionados of contemporary art and those intrigued by the cultural history of New York City.