HOLDING THE MAN (2015) Neil Armefield

Seen at TGLFF31

Film based on the book of the same name by Timothy Conigrave which tells the story of the author's love story with John Caleo , which began in Melbourne , Australia in the mid-1970s and ended for both of them due to AIDS.

A story of love, sexual experimentation and gay pride, it has all the characteristics of an LGBTQ film , balancing between melodrama and intimate auteur cinema.

A well-told plot where the flashbacks, sometimes blunt weapons, are here very precise and manage to create a cohesive and moving tale without making it seem complacent. When telling a story of death, it's hard not to be.

I didn't like the rush with which the initial mutual interest is shown, they immediately become a couple in an environment very hostile to homosexuality, probably the economics of the film imposed cuts to prevent the creation of a film that was too long.

After Test and A Normal Heart , AIDS has returned to the forefront of gay filmography, although the approach has changed: it no longer has a documentary and descriptive vein, but a historical vision, with reconstructions of environments and situations that have now changed.

The two lead actors, Ryan Corr and Craig Stott, are excellent, their performances are restrained and not at all over the top, even in the most delicate moments. What's more incomprehensible is the director's choice to have them wear ridiculous wigs to represent the passage of time through their different haircuts.

Around them, famous actors play supporting roles ( Kerry Fox, Guy Pearce, Anthony LaPaglia ), all very good: the quality promises a possible wide distribution of the film.

I cried a little too.