Captured...

Sometimes, even in New York, you finish work and just want to head home, curl up on the sofa and drink tea. The problem is that most of the time, in New York, someone can come along at the last minute and make you a better offer!

And so it was last night...Miss Elly Lacey unearthed a free screening hosted by the Anonymous Film Club at Yotel and I put my washing off for yet another evening. Personally I know Yotel thanks to their  “all you can eat + all you can drink” brunch, but a film screening?! I was sceptical to put it mildly...but what else can one do on a Monday night in NYC?!

It turned out the be one of the most fascinating documentaries I’ve seen, about a truly interesting man. The film is called Captured, shot by Ben Solomon and Dan Levin! Anyone who has spent time in the modern Lower East Side & paid $16 for a cocktail in one of the area's many bars should watch it. It had soul. 

It focused on the work of photographer & videographer, Clayton Patterson (who incidentally reminded me an awful lot of my late Uncle Steven). Rooted firmly in the context of a life spent in the small bit of Manhattan known as LES. I have gone from being ignorant to a huge fan. He was in the thick of the LES riots and used his work in fight against the injustice of state-authorities of that time. In addition he created an accidental fashion line and runs an art gallery. The guy is a legend.

In their words:

CAPTURED is the story of one man's commitment to chronicling the legendary Lower East Side, and the individuals who define it. Since the early 1980s Clayton Patterson has been fully dedicated to documenting the final era of this historic and eclectic neighbourhood long known for its humble streets, revolutionary minds and creative influence. He has obsessively recorded its many faces: from drag to hardcore, heroin to homelessness, political chaos to gentrification. CAPTURED profiles Patterson's odyssey from voyeur to provocateur, and from activist to renegade archivist. This fast-paced documentary includes Patterson's rare and renowned footage of the Tompkins Square police riots, and provides a close-up look at a fascinating character and chapter of urban culture. 

I would implore anyone with a vague interest in the LES to give up 90 minutes of their time for this film!