Cutie and the Boxer

Synopsis

A reflection on love, sacrifice, and the creative spirit, this candid New York story explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of renowned “boxing” painter Ushio Shinohara and his artist wife, Noriko. As a rowdy, confrontational young artist in Tokyo, Ushio seemed destined for fame, but met with little commercial success after he moved to New York City in 1969, seeking international recognition. When 19-year-old Noriko moved to New York to study art, she fell in love with Ushio abandoning her education to become the wife and assistant to an unruly, husband. Over the course of their marriage, the roles have shifted. Now 80, Ushio struggles to establish his artistic legacy, while Noriko is at last being recognized for her own art—a series of drawings entitled “Cutie,” depicting her challenging past with Ushio. Spanning four decades, the film is a moving portrait of a couple wrestling with the eternal themes of sacrifice, disappointment and aging, against a background of lives dedicated to art.

Director Biography

Zachary Heinzerling is a documentary director and cinematographer based in Brooklyn. He most recently was a field producer on the Emmy award-winning HBO documentary series 24/7. He has worked on several projects for HBO, including four Emmy award-winning documentaries, as a Field Producer and DP. Other DP credits include spots for MTV, Pitchfork TV, NY Times, and Esquire Magazine.