Peter Hujar is having another moment. The American photographer is best known for his iconic, raw black-and-white photographs of the who’s who of 1970s and 80s downtown New York. He was part of the East Village art scene and was very close to legends such as Nan Goldin, Susan Sontag and David Wojnarowicz. This group was subsequently devastated by the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, which also claimed Hujar in 1987.

2025 has seen a major retrospective of his work at London’s Raven Row gallery and now the release of Peter Hujar’s Day, a film by Ira Sachs (Passages, Love is Strange, Keep the Lights On). The film stars Ben Whishaw and Rebecca Hall and retells a day in Peter Hujar’s life in 1974.

Born in Trenton, New Jersey in 1934, Hujar escaped an abusive household aged 16 and lived on his own in Manhattan. Studies at the School of Industrial Art led him to photography, and by the age of 23, he was making work of museum quality. A handsome gay man, he mixed with the right people, including Andy Warhol, Paul Thek and Richard Avedon, who taught him a masterclass in photography. By 1967 he was focusing on the burgeoning downtown Manhattan queer and art scenes. He witnessed 1969’s Stonewall Riots and photographed the first Gay Liberation March in 1970. The 1970s saw him photograph a stellar cast of New York’s finest, including Fran Leibowitz, John Waters, Divine and William Burroughs. Hujar could be difficult to work with, and as a result did not enjoy the success, financial or other, in his lifetime that was achieved by contemporaries such as Robert Mapplethorpe.

In 1974 he took part in a documentary project with author Linda Rosenkrantz whereby he spent a random day noting every single thing he did. This was followed up the next day with a conversation between the two of them at Rosenkrantz’s uptown apartment where Hujar recalls his day in detail. The documentary was never completed but a transcript of it resurfaced in Hujar’s archives a few years ago and was quickly seized upon by both Sachs and Whishaw as material that deserved a wider audience. Whishaw plays Hujar, looking uncannily like him – the perfect person for the role – and Hall plays Rosenkrantz. Together they recreate the day-after conversation verbatim.

What follows is beautifully evocative of the quieter times that were enjoyed back then, free of disturbance from phones or other devices. We all crave such space these days. Whishaw and Hall have a relaxed intimacy as they discuss Hujar’s day. He considers his day uneventful, lounging in and out of bed, worrying about his health and his cash flow, but also recalls going to see Allan Ginsberg to shoot him as part of Hujar’s new gig at the New York Times. Ginsberg suggests that Hujar give William Burroughs, his next subject, a blow job. Other famous people such as Fran Leibowitz, Glenn O’Brien and Susan Sontag feature in his day, as well as more mundane things such as his Chinese take-out dinner and his smoking habit.

The resulting film has a rare calmness about it. Whishaw and Hall excel in their portrayals, especially as no footage of Hujar exists to base the character on. Filmed on 16mm film with long unrehearsed takes, there is a vintage authenticity to the largely monotone conversation between the close friends. Small details stand out, such as Hujar’s dissatisfaction with the results of his shoot, even though that image of Ginsberg is now considered very special. How often do we judge ourselves or our work too critically, rather than being satisfied with what we have/have done? Hujar is generally not easy on himself, or anyone else. Can we learn from that? Living with a sense of failure on a daily basis is not healthy. There’s a quiet stillness to this serene film, best to be in the same kind of mood when you watch it. Fans of Peter Hujar would probably like to experience more of Hujar’s amazing life than just one day so hopefully Sachs and Whishaw can give us more of this – they are the two to do it – the 80s East Village art scene needs a film. A beautiful piece of work.

                  Peter Hujar’s Day screened at the Curzon Soho cinema as part of the London Film Festival.  10/10