After watching The Cruise, a black and white documentary about a brilliant tour-bus guide in New York City, I was at loss for words. It took me a couple days to realize that the movie had actually changed the way I perceive things. The film is about Timothy Levitch and ‘the cruise’, which is essentially the journey of life. His greater knowledge and understanding about New York City is mind-blowing, and I recommend every artist to watch this compelling documentary film.
All artists can relate to Timothy Levitch to some extent, and if you can’t then you will most definitely empathize. He has a strong opinion on pretty much everything and is ready to share it in an impressive display of eclectic metaphors. He is a poet and a philosopher, in the rawest of ways. He spews truth that is mixed with analogies and comparisons, a form of language that is so familiar to artists.
Timothy Levitch’s unique ability to personify every building in New York City will change the way you see architecture. His childish behavior and internal struggles is something most artists understand. One of his favorite activities, he confesses, is to spin around under the twin towers of the World Trade Center and then look up so the buildings appear to be falling down on him.
His grandparents’ disappointment in him for not being a “success” still pains him to this day. We all carry the weight of embarrassment or the fear of disappointing our family, but Timothy finds similarities within the city that reflect the degrading aspects of his life. He makes a contrast with the city’s grid plan and denotes it to be against human nature. He also is able to pinpoint the residence of every famous writer who has ever lived in New York City.
Timothy calls some people who try to make him conform to society’s traditional way of living “anti-cruisers”. He believes that we should not have to “make a living”, instead we should just live. ”I am cruising because I have dedicated myself to all that is creative and destructive in my life right now, and I am equally in love with every aspect of my life, and I am in love with the frantic chaos of this limitless universe,” he says. As a human, I became encouraged to be present in my life and to not worry about trivial things. And as an artist, I became inspired to spread the message through my art. Timothy Levitch is incredibly inspiring, and I guarantee you will have a new perspective on life after watching this documentary.