In one of the essays of his book "Autumn Leaves," world renowned French author Andre Gide states "It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not." The new film from director Ira Sachs and co-writers Sachs and Mauricio Zacharias, Love Is Strange knows just how accurate this quote is and makes the argument with great depth and sadness. This is a film that is beautiful, sad, stunning, endearing, funny, uplifting, heartbreaking and extremely warm and comforting all in one fell swoop. It doesn't exactly hurt that Sachs manages to get two Oscar-worthy performances out of leads John Lithgow and Alfred Molina. Lithgow especially does career defining work here. As an actor who has a tendency to take things to extremes, he nicely underplays his role such that just one look of his draws large amounts of sympathy.
Lithgow and Molina play Ben and George, a couple who have been together 39 years and finally tie the knot. They are dedicated to one another unconditionally. It's one of those great relationships, whether it be in real life or in film, where if one falls, so does the other. After tying the knot, Ben and George experience an abundance of hardships. George gets fired from his job as a music teacher at a Catholic school. This happens despite the fact that both the students and parents know he is openly homosexual and think he's an excellent teacher. This leads to Ben and George having to move from their home. Ben has to go live with nephew Elliott (Darren E. Burrows), his wife, Kate (Marisa Tomei) and their teenage son Joey (Charlie Tahan.) George moves in with a younger homosexual couple, cops Ted (Cheyenne Jackson) and Roberto (Manny Perez.) Things only fall apart from here but I'll let you, the reader, see this wonderful film to find out how.
One of the strongest aspects of this film is how Lithgow and Molina are both so comfortable and easy with one another that the audience actually buys they're long-time partners. I forgot I was watching two great actors and believed I was watching a real couple. These are two performances that should be studied for hours on end by aspiring actors to see just what to do when it comes to having chemistry with a fellow performer. The screenplay is also brilliantly written when it comes to these two men. Ben and George are both portrayed as very nice, well meaning men but both also have their flaws and don't always do the right thing. This makes the scenes in which they're struggling all the more effective. I felt for these men and wanted to see them triumph in their relationship.
That can actually be said for everyone in this film. No character here is evil but they all have their problems and aren't at all perfect. This, along with the ordinariness of the events that take place, give the film a very realistic, true to life feel. It's also a great sight to see a film about a homosexual couple that doesn't put any emphasis on that fact. There are no characters who are against their relationship. Even the Catholic school principal (John Cullum) has nothing against it. Place a man and a woman in this same film and it would not make any difference. There's also a subplot about how Joey might be in the closet due to the fact that his only friend is Vlad (Eric Tabach,) an older boy with whom he spends a suspicious amount of time with. This subplot is very tastefully done and even avoids really bringing up the suspicion about Joey.
The whole film is tasteful, though and so much more. I dare anyone to walk out of the auditorium with dry eyes by the time the end credits start rolling. This is a film built on the sympathy the audience feels for these two leads and Sachs and Zacharias do an excellent job of making even the most cold and cynical soul feel bad for these two throughout the film. Credit for that also goes to Lithgow and Molina, whose performances rise to a level of excellence that I can't even properly convey with words. Love Is Strange is an amazing, unforgettable and life changing film that everyone should experience at least once.
(5 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for language)
**Note: How dare the MPAA, with whom I constantly add these notes against, give this film an R rating. This is the kind of film that could change young people's lives and give them a new perspective on the world but the unfair rating might prevent them from experiencing it. The film is rated R for "Language" and yet I only heard two F-bombs and no other even slightly bad language in the entire film. The MPAA claims that their standard as far as an R for language goes is at least 3 F-bombs. It's weird to think that PG-13 films such as Scary Movie 5 and Transformers have more language, sexual themes, hardcore violence, ETC than this film. The MPAA should be ashamed of themselves for this decision but I guess considering they make stupid calls like this everyday, they're used to it by now.
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