Matt Wolf’s documentary captures the beauty, complexity and troubled genius that comprised avant-garde composer, singer-songwriter, cellist and disco producer Arthur Russell’s life and work. Part of the ’70s art scene in New York, Russell collaborated with composers such as Philip Glass to produce achingly beautiful cello recordings and also became musical director of famed art space The Kitchen. All the while, he composed some of the juiciest underground dance tracks around (“Is It All over My Face,” “She Bang”), spurring the sound that eventually defined the burgeoning disco scene and nightclubs like Studio 54. Wolf’s deft direction captures the anxious excitement of New York in the late ’70s and early ’80s, giving a well-rounded view of Russell’s complicated life including his multifaceted talents and the self-defeating perfectionism that held him back. Russell died of AIDS in 1992, and his name and music fell into relative obscurity, but this compelling portrait will no doubt add to Russell’s rejuvenated fan base and reintroduce us to someone we should all know. As part of the evening, SF360 presents DJ Johnny Ray Huston spinning from his personal collection of Russell tracks.

Photographed by Jody Lee Lipes. (71 min Plexifilm)