CUTIE AND THE BOXER is a candid New York love story about life and art that explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of renowned “boxing” painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife and artist Noriko. Now 80, Ushio is consumed with reinforcing his legacy, while Noriko has her own creative voice, depicting their chaotic relationship in a series of drawings entitled “Cutie.”

When director Zachary Heinzerling was asked by Filmmaker Magazine how watching the way Ushio and Noriko produce art affected the way he did his, he replied: "I learned how to be a filmmaker. I learned what it takes, or at least the drive. Their passion way far exceeds mine. But this was a really long project for me, one that I was intensely passionate about, and spent all of my energy and money and whatever trying to pull off. And they definitely kept me going. I mean, you look at their situation, and they’re the most optimistic people. They could be late for four or five months on rent and just be like, 'Something will happen. We’ll get there somehow. Something will come through.' And because people love them and respect them, they’re such amazing personalities, and they work so hard and people see that, usually things do work out."