LFF 2014: Love Is Strange ****

Love Is Strange is a strangely affecting love story from writer-director Ira Sachs (Keep The Lights On). Its protagonists are in their autumn years, played by John Lithgow (Ben) and Alfred Molina (George), and it features on another gay relationship like his 2012 film. What is intriguing with his latest film is it starts from the opposite way around to a traditional love film, with domestic bliss achieved that is subsequently dissolved due to circumstances. It also translates perfectly for any audience, showing how one couple who believe they have it all can be so affected by life’s regularities.

Ben (Lithgow) and George (Molina) decide to get married after 39 years living together. It’s a joyous occasion attended by those who hold them near and dear. However, when music teacher George returns to work at a faith school he is fired for reasons that can only point to his recent marriage, something the church disagrees with. With artist Ben out of work, and no money coming in, they are forced to sell their beloved Manhattan apartment and must rely on the same friends and family for help — a situation that weighs heavily on all involved.

Lithgow and Molina are so affecting in their roles, so natural and comfortable, that there is a huge amount of instant empathy for them – regardless of your views on gay marriage/same-sex relationships. Their situation seems too familiar in one way or another; that of accommodation, job security and support worries when the worst happens. It is excruciating to watch their supposed close network unravel but equally complimentary as they find they have been everyone else’s rock over the years. Also, both men are separated while they stay as house guests at very different residences that go against their personalities. From this they learn more about what they want and do not want, and how strong their relationship actually is.

Both men almost revert back to their youth, the thrilling beginnings of their relationship. Sachs’s film has a wonderful scene where George visits Ben as his nephew’s and stays over. Both men are like excitable teenagers, grabbing the precious time they have for affection while the ‘parents’ are through the walls. It’s a scene of glee, deep affection and woe at they predicament that sums up the stresses the separation is putting on them. Sachs also provides the space for the surrounding characters to flex and learn too, with some wonderful performances from all.

Love Is Strange beautifully captures the daily trials that test a relationship but without the melodrama and a certain understatement that makes Sachs’s film a quietly powerful affair. Lithgow and Molina are superb in this and instantly heartwarming to watch. It is a conventional tragedy of our times that is life-affirming in its own right.

By @FilmGazer