Starring: Ryan Corr, Craig Stott, Anthony LaPaglia, Guy Pearce, Sarah Snook
Holding the Man
Director: Neil Armfield
Rating: 4/5
2016 has already been a good year for Australian cinema and another Aussie film is coming our way this weekend in the form of Holding The Man.
Directed by Neil Armfield, the movie is based on the 1995 memoir of Timothy Conigrave, which chronicles the fifteen-year relationship he had with John Caleo. This is the fourth feature film of Armfield's career and his first since Candy back in 2006.
Holding The Man is the warm, funny and achingly sad story of the 15-year long love affair between Timothy Conigrave and the boy he fell in love with at high school, John Caleo. Tim was an aspiring actor. John, the captain of the school football team. Their relationship blossomed and endured in the face of prejudice, adversity and the cruel illness that devastated the gay community in the '80s.
If you are looking for a powerful and moving drama this weekend then look no further than Holding The Man. This is a film that will captivate you from the opening scene to the closing credits as Armfield has crafted a wonderful story about love and loss.
Ryan Corr and Craig Stott are two actors who are no stranger to the big screen but they both give towering performances in the central roles of Tim and John.
They really get under the skin of these two men who go against their Catholic upbringing and their families when they fall in love. Holding the Man is a great exploration of the stigma surrounding homosexuality at that time, which was only made worse by the HIV/Aids crisis.
Anthony LaPaglia and Guy Pearce are also on top form as the fathers of Tim and John and it is problems with the parents that plays a huge part in the first half of the film.
While the movie does explore some interesting themes, Holding The Man is a tender love story and Armfield never loses sight of that. It is this relationship that drives the film forward and you are willing them to triumph from the moment that you meet these characters.
The film does take a darker and more serious turn and tone as the AIDS crisis takes hold during the eighties and this makes the climax of the film pack and even greater punch.
Armfield has delivered an emotionally powerful movie that will stay with you long after the credits have rolled - it really is the first Australian movie to explore the AIDS crisis of the eighties.
Holding The Man is a touching and beautiful love story that really will break your heart as well as make you cry. This is a compassionate, touching and funny movie that you cannot afford to miss this weekend.
Holding the Man is out now.