Love Is Strange
Directed by: Ira Sachs
Written by: Ira Sachs & Mauricio Zacharias
Starring: John Lithgow, Alfred Molina, Marisa Tomei, Darren E. Burrows, Charlie Tahan, Cheyenne Jackson, Manny Perez, Eric Tabach
Drama - 94 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 28 Aug 2014
Written by: Ira Sachs & Mauricio Zacharias
Starring: John Lithgow, Alfred Molina, Marisa Tomei, Darren E. Burrows, Charlie Tahan, Cheyenne Jackson, Manny Perez, Eric Tabach
Drama - 94 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 28 Aug 2014
Once gay couples clear the hurdle of gay marriage, their relationships and challenges fall right in line with the rest of us. Sidestepping almost all the politics of how the couple featured in Love in Strange reached the alter, director Ira Sachs focuses on what comes next. Two men of a certain age fall on hard times and must rely on close friends and family to help them navigate the treacherous labyrinth that is the New York City housing market. Their old relationship will be tested by a young marriage.
Ben (John Lithgow, 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and George (Alfred Molina) choose to make their 39 year relationship official in the eyes of the law. They invite their family and friends for an intimate ceremony and a joyous reception back at their cozy apartment. The egregious act of making such a public declaration of commitment and love becomes the catalyst for unforeseen consequences and those ripple effects which upset not only them but those same family and friends.
Ben (John Lithgow, 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and George (Alfred Molina) choose to make their 39 year relationship official in the eyes of the law. They invite their family and friends for an intimate ceremony and a joyous reception back at their cozy apartment. The egregious act of making such a public declaration of commitment and love becomes the catalyst for unforeseen consequences and those ripple effects which upset not only them but those same family and friends.
George teaches music at a Catholic school and while aware he was gay, the bishop does not abide by the idea of gay marriage so George receives his walking papers. Here is where Love Is Strange transforms from a story about an older couple making vows into a story about a family coming together to confront life’s challenges. It is not a protest story even though there are plenty of subjects to raise a fuss about. Marriage equality is a bridge already crossed but a slice of religious conservatism opposes it. Sachs opts to leave the fight with the church out of the film. Love Is Strange is a family melodrama, not a vehicle with a political message.
The impetus is politically charged but the attempted solutions are family centric. Ben moves in with his nephew, his wife (Marisa Tomei, 2011's The Ides of March), and their hormone-infested teenage son. The abrupt shift from his comfortable surroundings to bunk beds and a prickly great-nephew is jarring. Ben gets on his benefactors’ nerves and they grate on his. Watching folks get in everybody’s way and annoy each other is central plot point about making do and sacrificing but it does make for the most enjoyable film watching. George lands with close friends; a gay couple in their old apartment building who are also NYPD cops. Beyond their sexual preference, they are also inter-racial and enjoy both salsa dance parties and lively games of Dungeons & Dragons, two pursuits George does not readily take to.
Separation has a profound effect on the couple. They have been together every day for 39 years and now their daily routine and functions are gone. The film's most effective scene shows a soaking wet George showing up at Ben’s crash pad just wanting to be with his other. They are not supposed to be apart yet every new development in their marriage and work lives are ensuring that is just what occurs. New York City as a place acts the same role Woody Allen would give it; it is front and center. A Chopin score glides on top of it as we look at tree-lined neighborhood streets surrounded by brownstones, green spaces, statues, and traffic.
Love Is Strange is a simple film. You expect a fight for rights and dignity but Sachs almost blindsides us with his focus on family and the directness of practically facing your problems. Ben and George are a wonderful couple to watch and we root for them to somehow get back on their feet. Lithgow and Molina deliver deep and understanding performances about men who need family more than ever yet would never want to act as a burden upon them. Sachs made a bold choice to keep the conflicts buried beneath the characters. The results thankfully produce introspective reverie rather than the expected melodrama.
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