(Sunday 17 to Tuesday 19 November, 8pm. £5/4/3)
(Zachary Heinzerling: USA, 2013. 82 minutes; certificate 12A)

Cutie and the Boxer is a candid New York story about love, life and art. It explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of renowned “boxing” painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife and artist Noriko.

As a rowdy young Neo-Dadaist artist in Tokyo, Ushio yearned for international recognition, so in 1969 he set sail for New York City. When 19-year-old Noriko moved to NY to study art, she fell in love with Ushio, ultimately abandoning her education to become the wife and assistant to an unruly, alcoholic husband. Over the course of their marriage, the roles have shifted.

Now 80, Ushio is obsessed with establishing his artistic legacy, while Noriko is at last being recognised for her own art – a series of drawings entitled Cutie and Bullie, 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, love and ageing, against a background of lives dedicated to art.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_FQg1cyrH8

"A perfectly balanced love story" 5* – Moviescope

"An attuned portrait of how mannerisms, in art and life, are built up and challenged" 4* – The Guardian

"A charming study of two New York artists’ 40-year marriage shows the ebb and flow of creativity, jealousy and dependency " 4* – The Times

"A hugely endearing documentary, both touching and funny" 4* – The Financial Times

"Teases fascinating parallels between art and marriage: essential to both, it seems, are a thick skin and an optimism verging on madness" 4* – Total Film