Cutie and the Boxer
| Cutie and the Boxer | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Zachary Heinzerling |
| Produced by | Zachary Heinzerling Lydia Dean Pilcher Patrick Burns Sierra Pettengill Executive: Kiki Miyake |
| Starring |
Noriko Shinohara Ushio Shinohara |
| Music by | Yasuaki Shimizu |
| Cinematography | Zachary Heinzerling |
| Edited by | David Teague |
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Production
company |
Cine Mosaic
Ex Lion Tamer Little Magic Films |
| Distributed by | RADiUS-TWC |
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Release date
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Running time
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82 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English Japanese |
| Box office | $199,100 |
Cutie and the Boxer is a 2013 American documentary film produced, shot, and directed by Zachary Heinzerling. The film focuses on the chaotic 40-year marriage of the boxing painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife Noriko. The film features original artwork by Noriko Shinohara and Ushio Shinohara.
Heinzerling said of the couple: "When I first met [the Shinoharas], I was just struck by the raw spirit and beauty that emanates from their faces, their lifestyle, their art, everything about them has so much purpose and character. Even if you don’t speak Japanese, even if you have no previous knowledge of their artwork or who they are, you’re immediately captivated by their presence. They live in a world that’s kind of a time warp that hearkens back to the ‘70s New York SoHo art scene that is sort of canonized in history, certainly from my point of view."
The film is about the difficult 40-year relationship between Ushio and Noriko Shinohara, Japanese-born husband and wife artists who live in New York. Ushio Shinohara is a small player in the contemporary art world, known for painting with a pair of paint-soaked boxing gloves. Their family has struggled financially for many years. Noriko, who is more than 20 years younger than Ushio, set aside her own career to raise their son Alex and serve as Ushio’s unpaid assistant, receptionist and chef. Noriko has also worked on her own art, a character she created named Cutie. Cutie's story is told in a comic-book narrative, where she comes to New York and falls for a broke older artist named Bullie. By the end of the movie, Ushio has begun to recognize that he’s not the only artist in the family. They hold a joint art opening at a SoHo gallery.
The film and the director have won a number of awards:
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Wikipedia