The Graffiti Artist USA,P>For 17-year-old Nick a can of spray paint is a way of life. Adrift in a lush, nocturnal urban landscape, he is out to destroy the system by making art on the maze of virginal exterior walls of downtown Seattle and Portland. Leading an isolated and lonely life, Nick must steal to support his art, shoplifting to eat and keep him in supply of spray cans. His seclusion is interrupted when he meets another guy, fellow 'Tagger' Jessie and a tentative friendship is born. Their communication, hardly verbal, begins as a shared graffiti tour de force. As they collaborate on giant murals, their friendship takes on a sexual nature, but their assumptions about one another are soon questioned as political and emotional issues arise, threatening to tear them apart.

With an original score by Kid Loco, and shot through with an authentic and commanding sense of craft, this startlingly honest film from newcomer James Bolton is a breath of fresh air in the American independent movie scene.

D/P/S James Bolton WS Mettray Reformatory Pictures TD Video/Col/2004/80mins

James Bolton was born in Oregon, USA. Films include: Growing Up and I'm Fine (1996, short), Eban and Charley (2001), Dennis Cooper (2002, short).