Slava Tsukerman, the Russian-born writer and director of the stylish 1982 cult hit “Liquid Sky,” died Monday. He was 85.
The video distributor Vinegar Sky was among those of his associates announcing his death.
Liquid Sky’s statement on social media said, “We are saddened to learn of the passing of Slava Tsukerman, director of the new wave classic LIQUID SKY. Slava was a true visionary and uncompromising artist who created an international sensation with SKY, helping to change art, fashion, and music forever.
In the nearly two years leading up to the release of LIQUID SKY, Slava, along with his wife and long-time collaborator Nina Kerova, often invited us to join them for meals and visits to the New York neighborhoods which inspired them, from the East Village to Brighton Beach. Their kindness made them a pleasure to work with and we are honored that they trusted us to restore and present Slava’s masterwork on home video.”
Tsukerman directed films in the Soviet Union and Israel before immigrating to New York in 1976.
“Liquid Sky,” starring Anne Carlisle, melded scenes of the downtown fashion and music world with a sci-fi plot about a UFO feeding on the energy of the Manhattan counter-culture. The film’s colorful aesthetics resonated with New Wave music fans of the era, who turned it into an indie hit, but its style was also influenced by the Russian background of Tsukerman and his wife Nina V. Kerova, who was co-writer.
J. Hoberman revisited “Liquid Sky” in the New York Times on the occasion of a 4K restoration, writing, “’Liquid Sky’ has a particularly Soviet quality. Not only is it a montage film with much parallel action, but the costumes, makeup, hair styles, production design and even the herky-jerky dances are also highly suggestive of Russia’s 1920s Constructivist avant-garde. Its true ancestor is the director Yakov Protazanov’s 1924 Soviet space opera, ‘Aelita,’ which, among other things, depicts a revolution on Mars.”
“Liquid Sky” surprisingly grossed $1.7 million on a $500,000 budget and remained on Variety‘s top-grossing film chart for more than six months.
Tsukerman went on to direct commercials and a music video for Nile Rodgers as well as indie films “Poor Liza,” with Lee Grant and Ben Gazzara, documentary “Stalin’s Wife” and “Perestroika,” with F. Murray Abraham, Sam Robards and Ally Sheedy.
Variety reviewed “Perestroika,” writing, “A deeply strange, breezily existential cocktail of Milan Kundera and Federico Fellini. The film is… touchingly funny, visually arresting and somehow a consistent joy to watch. Cult status and a cultivated following in the nooks and crannies of all venues where films are seen these days are indicated.”
In 2017, Tsukerman collaborated with Vinegar Syndrome on a making-of documentary, “Liquid Sky Revisited.”
He is survived by his wife.
English (US) ·