Holding the Man, 2015.
Directed by Neil Armfield.
Starring Ryan Corr, Craig Stott, Guy Pearce, Anthony LaPaglia, Sarah Snook, Kerry Fox and Geoffrey Rush.
SYNOPSIS:
Tim and John fell in love while teenagers at their all-boys high school. John was captain of the football team, Tim an aspiring actor playing a minor part in Romeo and Juliet. Their romance endured for 15 years to laugh in the face of everything life threw at it – the separations, the discrimination, the temptations, the jealousies and the losses – until the only problem that love can’t solve, tried to destroy them.
In the early 80’s a disease suddenly came to prominence through a storm of sensationalist media reporting. Up until then not many had heard of HIV or AIDS, but a seeming outbreak of the disease, which at the time was largely attributed to the Gay community, who began stepping out from the shadows and finding a voice in society, lead to fear and stigma, hate and ignorance. In the 60’s there was free love and no shortage of needles, by the 80’s the club scene was rising to prominence from the more mainstream to those that catered to those who had become decidedly un-Christian in their defection from heterosexuality. If you think of the time when Aids became known to society, you think of the 80’s.
Holding the Man is based on the auto-biographical book by Tim Conigrave, which recounts his relationship with John Caleo. The pair met in high school. John a football star, and Tim the drama student. Their “sinful” affair lasting 15 years until the untimely death of Caleo as a result of contracting Aids. The film, how true it the source material I couldn’t say, recounts the relationship through their teens, through to the final moments. It offers an insight into the attitudes toward homosexuality at the time, as well as into the fear and scaremongering that came with the AIDS “epidemic.”
Okay, so we’ve seen films deal with this subject before. This Aussie flick however manages to effectively relay the story with dramatic heft, without falling into melodrama. As a central character, Conigrave is interesting. One would assume the screenplay kept close to Conigrave’s book, and thus to the depiction of himself. He’s a little selfish, a little self-righteous and a bit quirky, but always with his heart in the right place. Caleo is simpler. He’s a little more down the middle and a little more considered, but indeed there’s no small measure of guilt from Conigrave’s perspective. He refers to John as an “angel” at one point. Rose tinted portrayal? Who knows, but John is often the moral centre with stability that Tim gravitates around, occasionally pulling John into situations against his will, be it inciting bar brawls, or indeed ultimately leading a monogamous relationship into an open and eventually fateful one.
The story holds attention without necessarily being gripping, but the performances are excellent. Ryan Corr and Craig Stott as Tim and John respectively are both very good. There’s a little chemistry there and the relationship’s arc, through ups and downs calls for a lot of range. The two leads ably deliver and they are matched with some strong support from Guy Pearce (as John’s father) and Anthony La Paglia (as Tim’s father).
Neil Armfield’s direction is sensitive and doesn’t intrude on proceedings with a heavy hand. The film also benefits from solid production design (looking suitably 80’s) and the soundtrack (as you’d expect from a good 80’s set film) is excellent.
Holding the Man is a very watchable drama. It doesn’t quite hit the emotional punch of Dallas Buyers Club as an example, but never-the-less the story, direction and the cast make this well worth a watch. A very well made and dramatically adept film.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Tom Jolliffe
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https://youtu.be/b7Ozs5mj5ao?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published June 2, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
