edwagreen
Alfred Molina and his partner give bravura performances, but enough with the gay thing already.We see joy at the wedding of the couple, only to see one lose his job as a music teacher at a Catholic school for obvious reasons afterwards.As stated, the acting is excellent and Marisa Tomei steals every scene she is in as the aunt-by-marriage to one of the gay partners in the film.The story also points out the apartment crisis in the city once the couple loses their apartment and is forced to live separately while desperately searching for new digs. That part of the film reminded me of the great Make Way for Tomorrow, circa 1937 with Victor Moore and Beulah Bondi. Housing affects all people regardless of sexual orientation.
l_rawjalaurence
The tone of Ira Sachs's movie remains resolutely liberal, as it calls for a "live and let live" attitude in a society which, despite its apparent freedom, nonetheless discriminates against certain people.Long-time partners Ben Hull (John Lithgow), and George Garea (Alfred Molina) decide to marry after thirty-nine years of living together. The ceremony is a happy one, but immediately leads to trouble as George is dismissed from his post at a local Catholic school as a music teacher. Lacking sufficient funds to pay New York's ruinous taxes, the couple are forced out of their apartment after twenty years, and forced to live a nomadic existence. Ben moves in with his nephew Eliot (Darren Burrows) and family, while George shacks up with friendly next-door neighbor Ted (Cheyenne Jackson). The remainder of the film portrays the couple's struggle to survive under difficult, if not impossible circumstances.Stylistically speaking, LOVE IS STRANGE is an elegiac movie, full of long takes focusing on the protagonists' expressions as they realize the shortcomings of their new lives. The soundtrack with its plangent rendering of Chopin's piano music, reinforces the mood: in one sequence we see George giving a private lesson to one of his music students, and trying desperately to keep the tears back as he listens to her playing one of the Preludes. Sachs's camera remains focused on his face, with occasional cuts to the young girl playing, and through this strategy we understand just how affecting music can actually be.On the other hand Sachs celebrates the elderly couple's strength as they manage to overcome adversity and enjoy the pleasures of the moment, such as listening to a classical recital. The camera zooms in on them listening, and their hands slowly meet in a mutual celebration of physical as well as emotional pleasure. Another sequence, taking place in a diner at nighttime, shows the couple bidding farewell to one another; the camera shows them walking down the street together during a glorious sunset, their hands linked together; and subsequently cuts to an understated scene where they embrace. This is the last time we see Ben alive - from then on George has to live the life of a singleton in a newly-rented apartment.Molina and Lithgow give memorable performances - each gesture, or movement of the eyes signaling their longing for one another. The other real star of this film is Christos Voudouris's camera, which photographs some wonderful New York landscapes in late summer and autumn; the skyscrapers towering into cloudless skies; the tree- lined streets offering oases of calm from the bustle of the main avenues; and the tracking shots of iconic sites such as the Metropolitan Museum. From such moments we can understand precisely why George and Ben do not want to leave the center of the city, even though they have been offered temporary - and comfortable - accommodation in Poughkeepsie, two and a half hours' bus-ride away.LOVE IS STRANGE might be at heart a sentimental movie, but remains memorable nonetheless - not only for the quality of the performances, but also for Sachs's cleverly understated direction.
peterjkh
OK. We have Ben & George, two gay men in their late 60s/early 70s,who have been together for almost 40 years. So far, so good. Finally they get married and as a result, George is fired and they find themselves having financial trouble, which forces them to sell their apartment and to move in with some friends (George) and some relatives (Ben).The acting was OK, Ben and George really came across as a devoted couple, genuinely loving each other, and devoted to each other.The rest was a bunch of nonsense.Ben and George have been living together for almost 40 years. They do not seem to live the high life, or to be extremely extravagant. They have a nice apartment, comfortable, but not overly luxurious. Even their own wedding party is fairly simple: they did not even order a cab to the ceremony, but tried to find one on the streets. They did not throw a big party, or even have dinner with their friend and family in a restaurant, they just had some drinks at their own home. OK, they went on an expensive honeymoon, but if that is the only extravaganza they allowed themselves over all the years they were together, it is not over the top.So all in all, they come across like people who have a simple lifestyle, do not overspend and are content with simple things.Yet, when George is fired, they do not have a penny in the bank. Really? No savings, no insurances, nothing? That seems totally out of character.But pennyless, they have to resort to moving in with friends/relatives. They do not seem to do any effort to stay together, if even in a single room. Just like that, after 40 years together, they decide to separate. George moves in with some neighbors (young gays), Ben goes to live with relatives (a young couple with a teenage son), where he has to share the room with this boy. Really?Where did they leave all their stuff, their furniture, the paintings, the books? Did they just sell it all, or what?Ben lives with those relatives, who seem wealthy enough (he is a businessman, she is a novelist), they have a maid, but they are still living in an apartment the size of a shoebox. Somehow, the only son has bunk beds in his room (why?), where Ben has to sleep. This son also has a friend, Vlad, with whom he spends hours and hours in his room. Why? Nobody knows.Somehow, Ben, who is a painter, decides to make a picture of this Vlad on the roof top of the building. Why? He does not know this boy, he hardly has spoken to this boy, but somehow this boy Vlad agrees to pose for him. Does this make sense? No. Wouldn't it have made more sense for Ben to paint a picture of his nephew Joey on that roof top, which he than could have presented to the parents as a small "thank you" for taking him in?In the mean time, George is living with this young gay couple, who are partying all the time, and meets a young guy. They get along very well, and somehow they end up having dinner together and looking at his apartment, which is for rent, as he is leaving for Mexico. Although they seem to have some sort of connection, no sexual attempts are made (really?) while they are alone in that apartment. It is mentioned that the rent is 1400 dollars a month, and somehow George suddenly has the means to pay that amount of money (earlier in the movie, George and Ben where house hunting and could not even afford 600 dollars...).Than there is that whole issue about Joey and Vlad having stolen French literature books from the library. Really? Teen boys stealing Cyrano de Bergerac and other books like that? It is never explained why or how that ends, so what is the meaning of that?And there are more issues that made this movie in itself a strange thing, the love between the two main characters was the most logic thing in the whole movie... SO no "Love is strange" here. But the rest was strange as hell.
