The conservative Senator Jesse Helms once castigated Robert Mapplethorpe’s provocative photographs, saying “look at the pictures.” Directors Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato take him at face value in this candid HBO biography “Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures” that includes interviews with the photographer’s inner circle and rare recordings in his own words.

 — Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen

For more information, click here to visit HBO's official web site for the film.