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The Music and the Mirror: Reflections of a Man in Tights
Pros
Great performances, script by Martin Sherman, sex-positive outlook on people with HIV
Cons
A bit treacly at times
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Refreshingly sex positive portrayal of one man's struggles with being HIV+ and how that serostatus effects his relationships with other people. Honest, engaging and humorous. Definitely recommended.
So I'm still unemployed here in lovely ole L of A. The City of Angels is not feeling altogether very angelic today. I called Endeavor and left a very professional and polite message with human resources, asking them to call me in regards to my interview a few weeks back, but I'm not holding my breath waiting for that to happen. I've decided to fax my resume' over to the L.A. Times to see if they'd be interested in taking me on as a reporter, preferably one working in the Entertainment/Living section, where I can at least write about music and movies. I've decided to submit my essay on Madonna, "Confessions of a Madonnanite" (published here at: http://www.epinions.com/content_38521638532) to Rolling Stone as well, and have also forwarded it to Madge's fan club, Icon. I'm hoping that somehow they powers that be read it, think it's amazing, and invite me back stage to meet Her Royal Highness.
Oh well, they say to dream big, and God knows I'm very good at doing that.
In the meantime, I'm also in negotiations with my favorite Epinioneer, the incomparable MrsNormanMaine, to create a one-woman show around her. Well, not really "negotiations," per se, but my people are talking to hers. (This is possible because we both seem to be inflicted with split personality disorder, so when I say "my people," I mean the others living inside me.) I think MNM has a great future in show business. She would be great in a remake of Mommie Dearest. I'm hoping that The Vicki Lester Revue (the working title for the one-person show) will attract scads of gay men who also share a common love of show tunes. God knows it's been long enough since The Scooby Snack and I parted ways! I could use a date. Anyone interested?
Still, I'm very happy to be in Los Angeles, even though I have no money to speak of. It's actually been a great opportunity to rent a bunch of movies I've always wanted to see but never had a chance to back east, where a lot of the more independent movies were not carried in the local Blockbuster video store. Yesterday I drove on down to the video chain and rented four movies from the "Favorites" section, which are free on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. And with my wallet looking so damned anorexic these days, free is a good thing.
One of said movies was Nancy Meckler's British 1996 drama Alive and Kicking, a sensitive portrayal of a dancer who is HIV positive and the unlikely romance he enters into with an older man.
Tonio (Jason Flemyng) is an attractive, rather flamboyantly mannered dancer still smarting from the loss of his previous partner to AIDS one year earlier. He's watched other friends succumb to the virus as well, and one of his closest friends Ramon (Anthony Higgins) is currently on his way out the door in the local hospital. When Ramon dies, the dance studio's producer decides to stage a production in Ramon's honor, and Tonio is cast in his late friend's role.
Despite his status as HIV positive, Tonio refuses to take any medication for his condition, knowing that the side effects of the drugs would make it impossible for him to continue as a dancer. Furthermore, with all the loss and pain that comes along with his serostatus, Tonio has pretty much shut himself off from ever knowing love again and spends most of his quality time with his favorite lesbian gal pal Millie (Diane Parish).
Then into his life comes Jack (Anthony Sher), a marginally overweight but attractive and sincere older man who just happens to be a therapist who counsels HIV+ patients. Despite Tonio's attempts to keep him at bay, Jack is persistent, eventually finding his way into Tonio's life... and his heart.
But all is not roses and champagne for the two, as Jack must deal with Tonio's suffocating self-involvement and abandonment issues, and Tonio in turn is forced to take on Jack's own demons and his alcoholism. The two face a rather rocky road to happiness, while neither is sure they can handle the stress. As Tonio so aptly puts it to Millie, "The thing about being gay is that you have to deal with other men. Men cause wars and have absolutely no manners."
Amen, brother.
There have been many films to depict the struggle with HIV and AIDS in recent years. Jonathan Demme's well-meaning but ultimately white-washed Philadelphia is certainly the most notable, if for nothing else than for Tom Hanks' solid performance as the film's lead. Sadly, however, that film erased any trace of passion or sexuality in the relationship between Hanks' character and that of Antonio Banderas, not even allowing them a single kiss. This has been a common element in many gay films that deal with being HIV+ characters. Studios are so fixated on getting the movies made that they short-change their characters (and their audiences) by removing any sexual overtones for fear of the message not getting through.
Thankfully, Alive and Kicking is no such film. While it handles the issue of AIDS with relative restraint, it doesn't shy away from depicting sex between its two lead characters. It's a refreshingly sex-positive presentation of the "HIV experience," one that actually gives its audience the benefit of the doubt that we are mature, open-minded adults who aren't threatened by the notion of an "alternative" sexuality.
The script, by Bent scribe Martin Sherman, is engaging and playful for the most part, depicting with relative subtlety Tonio's struggles in dealing with his serostatus and how it effects his relationships with other people. Sherman occasionally dips into the well of melodrama, and some of the scenes are a bit treacly as a result, but such scenes are few and far between. Mostly Sherman's script is right on the money.
Meckler's direction is concise and even-handed, allowing her actors the freedom to play a bit more than other directors might. There's also a good deal of humor in the script, and Meckler elevates it to represent how those in the gay community often use humor as a defense mechanism to shield us from getting hurt. Meckler works well with a genuinely talented cast, eliciting controlled but natural performances from all the performers.
The film's two male leads are especially exceptional. Flemyng's Tonio is a prissy ball of energy and regret, and he attacks the role with conviction and sincerity, while Sher's Jack is the perfect match (or is it foil?) to Tonio's attention-getting hysterics.
In the end, Alive and Kicking is a humorous, emotionally fulfilling entry into the gay film canon, and one that deserves to be seen by viewers of any and all sexual orientation. It's messages of tolerance, understanding and healthy sexuality are just the kind of medicine that the world needs in big doses.
Now if you'll excuse me I've got three other movies I need to watch before Saturday. Keep an eye out for those Epinions as well, and if you happen to see MNM in the next few days, tell her I'm working on a big wire hanger tap number for the show.
I just know this is going to get me a date!
GRADE: B+
(NOTE: If you're interested in reading my picks for the Best Gay and Lesbian Films Ever, you can do so at http://www.epinions.com/content_2008064132)
Oh well, they say to dream big, and God knows I'm very good at doing that.
In the meantime, I'm also in negotiations with my favorite Epinioneer, the incomparable MrsNormanMaine, to create a one-woman show around her. Well, not really "negotiations," per se, but my people are talking to hers. (This is possible because we both seem to be inflicted with split personality disorder, so when I say "my people," I mean the others living inside me.) I think MNM has a great future in show business. She would be great in a remake of Mommie Dearest. I'm hoping that The Vicki Lester Revue (the working title for the one-person show) will attract scads of gay men who also share a common love of show tunes. God knows it's been long enough since The Scooby Snack and I parted ways! I could use a date. Anyone interested?
Still, I'm very happy to be in Los Angeles, even though I have no money to speak of. It's actually been a great opportunity to rent a bunch of movies I've always wanted to see but never had a chance to back east, where a lot of the more independent movies were not carried in the local Blockbuster video store. Yesterday I drove on down to the video chain and rented four movies from the "Favorites" section, which are free on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. And with my wallet looking so damned anorexic these days, free is a good thing.
One of said movies was Nancy Meckler's British 1996 drama Alive and Kicking, a sensitive portrayal of a dancer who is HIV positive and the unlikely romance he enters into with an older man.
Tonio (Jason Flemyng) is an attractive, rather flamboyantly mannered dancer still smarting from the loss of his previous partner to AIDS one year earlier. He's watched other friends succumb to the virus as well, and one of his closest friends Ramon (Anthony Higgins) is currently on his way out the door in the local hospital. When Ramon dies, the dance studio's producer decides to stage a production in Ramon's honor, and Tonio is cast in his late friend's role.
Despite his status as HIV positive, Tonio refuses to take any medication for his condition, knowing that the side effects of the drugs would make it impossible for him to continue as a dancer. Furthermore, with all the loss and pain that comes along with his serostatus, Tonio has pretty much shut himself off from ever knowing love again and spends most of his quality time with his favorite lesbian gal pal Millie (Diane Parish).
Then into his life comes Jack (Anthony Sher), a marginally overweight but attractive and sincere older man who just happens to be a therapist who counsels HIV+ patients. Despite Tonio's attempts to keep him at bay, Jack is persistent, eventually finding his way into Tonio's life... and his heart.
But all is not roses and champagne for the two, as Jack must deal with Tonio's suffocating self-involvement and abandonment issues, and Tonio in turn is forced to take on Jack's own demons and his alcoholism. The two face a rather rocky road to happiness, while neither is sure they can handle the stress. As Tonio so aptly puts it to Millie, "The thing about being gay is that you have to deal with other men. Men cause wars and have absolutely no manners."
Amen, brother.
There have been many films to depict the struggle with HIV and AIDS in recent years. Jonathan Demme's well-meaning but ultimately white-washed Philadelphia is certainly the most notable, if for nothing else than for Tom Hanks' solid performance as the film's lead. Sadly, however, that film erased any trace of passion or sexuality in the relationship between Hanks' character and that of Antonio Banderas, not even allowing them a single kiss. This has been a common element in many gay films that deal with being HIV+ characters. Studios are so fixated on getting the movies made that they short-change their characters (and their audiences) by removing any sexual overtones for fear of the message not getting through.
Thankfully, Alive and Kicking is no such film. While it handles the issue of AIDS with relative restraint, it doesn't shy away from depicting sex between its two lead characters. It's a refreshingly sex-positive presentation of the "HIV experience," one that actually gives its audience the benefit of the doubt that we are mature, open-minded adults who aren't threatened by the notion of an "alternative" sexuality.
The script, by Bent scribe Martin Sherman, is engaging and playful for the most part, depicting with relative subtlety Tonio's struggles in dealing with his serostatus and how it effects his relationships with other people. Sherman occasionally dips into the well of melodrama, and some of the scenes are a bit treacly as a result, but such scenes are few and far between. Mostly Sherman's script is right on the money.
Meckler's direction is concise and even-handed, allowing her actors the freedom to play a bit more than other directors might. There's also a good deal of humor in the script, and Meckler elevates it to represent how those in the gay community often use humor as a defense mechanism to shield us from getting hurt. Meckler works well with a genuinely talented cast, eliciting controlled but natural performances from all the performers.
The film's two male leads are especially exceptional. Flemyng's Tonio is a prissy ball of energy and regret, and he attacks the role with conviction and sincerity, while Sher's Jack is the perfect match (or is it foil?) to Tonio's attention-getting hysterics.
In the end, Alive and Kicking is a humorous, emotionally fulfilling entry into the gay film canon, and one that deserves to be seen by viewers of any and all sexual orientation. It's messages of tolerance, understanding and healthy sexuality are just the kind of medicine that the world needs in big doses.
Now if you'll excuse me I've got three other movies I need to watch before Saturday. Keep an eye out for those Epinions as well, and if you happen to see MNM in the next few days, tell her I'm working on a big wire hanger tap number for the show.
I just know this is going to get me a date!
GRADE: B+
(NOTE: If you're interested in reading my picks for the Best Gay and Lesbian Films Ever, you can do so at http://www.epinions.com/content_2008064132)
