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LOVE IS STRANGE Send This Review to a Friend
This tender film, sensitively directed by Ira Sachs and co-written by Sachs and Mauricio Zacharias, starts with a gay wedding. The newlyweds, George, played by Alfred Molina, and Ben, portrayed by John Lithgow, have long been living together, but thanks to the change in New York law, they can now be an officially married couple. We see the celebration of their nuptials among friends. However, bliss is to be interrupted.
George has been dedicatedly teaching music at a Catholic school. His being gay has been known and tolerated. But gay marriage? That is more than the school officials can stand, given the opposition of the church to such unions. It is a sad moment when George is told he can no longer teach there, and to his credit, he leaves with defiant dignity. But losing the job becomes an economic hardship that drives the plot.
George and Ben are forced to sell their apartment because they can no longer meet mortgage payments, which results in their having to live separately sheltered by others. The plot device seems strained and manipulative. Surely, one may think, the couple could find some accommodation, however humble, thus continuing to live together. But the filmmakers, using the plot concept, are able to set up obstacles for George and Ben, as well as illuminate other characters who may open their hearts but find such hospitality difficult for various reasons.
Ben is taken in by his nephew Elliot, played by Darren Burrows, who lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Kate, portrayed by the ever-interesting Marisa Tomei. George’s lot is to move in with ex-neighbors, Ted, played by Cheyenne Jackson, and Roberto, portrayed by Manny Perez. George has to sleep on a couch. Ben bunks in a room with young Joey (Charlie Tahan), and antagonism grows. There is really no physical or emotional room for George and Ben in either household.
Thus we get a portrait of love torn asunder by economic circumstances. Despite the manufactured obstacles, what makes the film work and get to our hearts is the combination of astute, endearing performances by Molina and Lithgow. One feels for the men they depict, especially given their bond of love in the new situation of legalized gay marriage. Each in his own way, George and Ben are likable, even admirable, and we become party to their personal struggle to find happiness.
Recently, I also watched Lithgow play King Lear in the Public Theater production in New York’s Central Park. Both that performance and his acting in “Love is Strange” demonstrate what a fine actor he is and the range he has. Molina, whom I have enjoyed in various roles, demonstrates anew what an effective actor he is. Their performances afford the pleasure of seeing gay characters come dramatically and lovingly to life in a fresh situation. Now that gay marriage is being more widely accepted and legalized, we are likely to see a new level of depiction along the lines that this film pioneers. A Sony Pictures Classics release. Reviewed August 25, 2014.
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