As much as I look forward to the holidays, I should also
concede that this vacation was not as productive as I had set out to make it.
Nevertheless, prodded by an article on the internet, I ended up binge-watching some
really good LGBTQ+ movies. While all of them were appreciable, a few of them
particularly stood out for me.
Pride
Released in 2014, this movie is based on the real-life
incidents that happened in Wales in 1984. The movie chronicles the rise of the
support group created by gay and lesbian activists, led by Mark Ashton, in
order to support the miners striking against the Thatcher government. Aptly
named Lesbians and Gays Support Miners (LGSM), the group takes up the challenge
to back the orthodox miner community, risking the conservative government’s ire
and the miners’ homophobic jibes while not being able to garner support from
within their own community. Undaunted, they set about their task with equal
parts fortitude and flamboyance.
At the heart of the film’s soul lies the way two groups,
subject to ridicule by the government, eventually support each other and that
is beautiful enough. To realize that this actually happened, thirty years ago,
is unbelievable. The movie also contains a few subplots, most importantly the
coming-of-age and coming out of Joe Cooper and Mark’s discovery that he is HIV
+ve. All the members of the cast do an excellent job of bringing out the little
vulnerabilities of the respective characters. For me though, the real star will
remain the story and the message of hope and goodwill that it successfully
passes on to the viewers.
Milk
It is difficult enough to be openly gay in a workplace that
does not grant equal rights to queer people, and if that workplace turns out be
public service in the 1970s in United States. The eponymous film, released in
2008, is based on the life of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person to be
elected to public office in California. Depicting his journey from being a
closeted man who sought clandestine encounters to a vocal activist-politician
who championed the cause of equal rights, this movie is one of the best biopics
that I have seen.
“I am Harvey Milk, and I am here to recruit you.” Armed with
this refrain, tenacity and unflinching support of his close group, Milk manages
to make a place for himself in the political discourse, not just in San
Francisco or California, but throughout the nation. Harvey pays for all this,
however, with not only the pain of breakdown of multiple relationships but
eventually his life. The movie went on to win several awards and secured eight
nominations at the Oscars and ended up winning two—Best Original Screenplay for
Dustin Black and Best Actor (Male) for Sean Penn’s superb portrayal of the
title character.
The Way He Looks
The Way He Looks (Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho) is a 2014 Brazilian movie based on the dynamics of friendship and love. In fact, the three leads of the movie had originally
starred in a short film directed by the same director, and reprised their roles
for this feature. The movie starts off by introducing the viewers to the
characters—Leornado, the visually-impaired teenager, his childhood friend
Giovana, and Gabriel, the new student. who soon become close friends and start
spending a lot of time together. Although
it goes very well for them in the start, Giovana soon starts feeling jealous of
Leornado giving Gabriel more attention than her.
The film explores how both the boys come to terms with their
sexualities and feelings for each other while Giovana is still adjusting to the
fact that she is no longer as close to Leornado as she once was. Despite the
unusual characters and relationships, the movie retains the typical elements of
the teen drama genre i.e. fights, drunken kisses and realizations. The three
actors bring to life the emotions without making it look over-the-top. The
movie also ended up introducing me to the foot-tapping music of Belle and
Sebastian, for which I would be always grateful.
-Kumaresh Ramesh
