Love seems to be the main topic in today's society -- on the radio, in the cinema, and on the TV screen -- but at first glance, the world always seems to focus on the romantic side of love. And why not? Romance makes things fun; it keeps us on our toes; it is something that everyone strives for, and it sells. But romance is not all there is to love... and this is why a second glance is so important: without it, we may miss things like Ira Sachs' new film, LOVE IS STRANGE, which is not just about romantic love, but about familial and neighborly love: the comfort you feel when in its presence, and the loneliness you feel when you are apart from it.
Alfred Molina and John Lithgow play Ben and George, longtime partners in Manhattan who after 39 years, have finally gotten married. What seems like a happy occasion quickly takes a sharp turn for the worst: though the Catholic school for which George worked as a choir director has known his situation for years, he is now being fired from his job after "officially" coming out. With their lives now depending on Ben's pension and the handful of music lessons that George gives, they decide to sell their apartment and look for cheaper rent, asking their family and friends if they can stay with them temporarily. Unfortunately, this is Manhattan, and the size of the apartments prevent anyone from being able to host both of them together, so the two are separated: George stays with their old neighbors, Ted and Roberto (Cheyenne Jackson and Manny Perez), a young, extroverted couple who work for the NYPD; and Ben stays with his hardworking nephew, Elliot (Darren E. Burrows), his novel-writing wife, Kate (Marisa Tomei), and their son, Joey (Charlie Tahan).
Though we can see both George and Ben's disorientation in their new living situations, feeling the constant absence of their partner, the majority of the film focuses on the constant clash between Ben and his hosts as his stay in their home begins to feel less and less temporary. Elliot and Kate's relationship is already strained as the demands of Elliot's job keep him away from home; and as Kate sets to work on her next novel, we find such a natural and true-to-life interaction as Ben unwittingly interrupts her work to make small talk. Joey takes up the role of the hostile teenager, always looking for privacy and spending inordinate amounts of time with his new friend, Vlad.
Meanwhile, George struggles to have some time to himself, as Ted and Roberto constantly invite people over for parties. Though engulfed in a sea of new faces, George feels isolated, further driving home the point that Ben and George feel a void when they are not with each other.
Sachs his cast wisely. Molina and Lithgow have excellent chemistry, and not for a moment will you believe they are anything but an old couple... not just in their chemistry, but in the little moments on screen. They don't flaunt their togetherness with overacted affection, but are completely comfortable with each other, as if... well, as if they've been together for 39 years.
The only complaint I had with this film was that it couldn't seem to make up its mind about whose perspective the story was coming from. For the first half of the movie, it focused on Ben's perspective. Then it briefly switched to George's. Then at the end, you were suddenly placed in Joey's shoes. Though the emotions of these last scenes are wonderful and poignant, the last shot, especially, detracts from the rest of the characters in the film.
However, don't let this detail keep you from enjoying LOVE IS STRANGE, and the idea that it presents... and I'm sure you've guessed by now what this idea is: "Love is strange... but it endures". Now playing at the Midtown Cinema... don't miss it!
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