GUEST OF CINDY SHERMAN
Directed by Paul H-O and Tom Donahue
Produced by Paul H-O, Mr. Donahue & Anura Idupuganti
Released by Trela Media
USA. 88 min. Not Rated
With Cindy Sherman, John Waters, Carol Kane & Molly Ringwald
 

In the 1990’s, Paul Hasegawa-Overacker, who goes by the name of Paul H-O, infiltrated the then-suffering New York art scene with his public access, ultra low-budget television show Gallery Beat. Hoisting the camera on his shoulder, he forced his T-shirt and jeans self into the pristine, elitist, and highly self-esteemed art world. He never pretended to be a serious critic, and never took the scene too seriously. Most critics, artists, and dealers considered him just annoying, loud, and a joke. Slowly though, Gallery Beat’s coverage and welcomed publicity soon opened doors to the big shows. And where big shows are involved, big names are sure to follow, so it was inevitable that H-O would eventually run into quite possibly the biggest female name in the art world: Cindy Sherman.

Known for her quiet personal life and aversion to press and publicity, friends and fellow artists alike were all surprised when Sherman agreed to an interview with H-O in her studio. Before long, they were an official couple, and Guest of Cindy Sherman documents both the creation and destruction of that relationship—as well as an eye-opening peek into Sherman’s creative process. H-O, ever the outsider, quickly found himself as inside the art world as one can get. He stayed in penthouses, traveled in private jets, and hobnobbed with bigwigs. Well, “hobnob” is not entirely accurate. More appropriate verbs might be “tagged along” or “dragged to.” Constantly squeezed out of the shot by photographers, or put at the un-famous table with fellow unwanted significant others, like David Furnish (Who? Exactly—Elton John’s husband), he slowly but surely lost his grip.

As a perceptive radio talk show host points out in the film, H-O had lost his identity to an artist whose work relies heavily on camouflage, impersonation, and nonidentity. Ironically, Guest’s focus on Sherman and her work is its strength, providing an in-depth and revealing glimpse of one of the most celebrated artists in the world, who comes across as charming and shy here.

In the film’s last third, H-O’s bruised male ego takes the spotlight, though it’s not clear from his complaints of neglect if he would understand that the reason why most would see this film is not because of him but Sherman. Without it, his story would be unremarkable. Guest of Cindy Sherman may be about his interlude in an inner circle and his life before and after, but she still upstages him. B. Bastron & Kent Turner
March 30, 2009