Love Is Strange

 LOVE IS STRANGE

Director : Ira Sachs

Year : 2015

Genre : Romantic drama

Rating : ****

Alfred Molina and John Lithgow give career best performances in 'Love Is Strange', a beautifully told romantic drama from writer/director Ira Sachs. In it, Molina and Lithgow play George and Ben respectively, a same sex couple who after nearly four decades of being together finally get married. However, within a few days of exchanging their vows, their lives come crashing down around them. George is fired from his job as a music teacher at a devout catholic school meaning that the couple can no longer afford to pay for their Manhattan apartment. 

This forces them out of their home and onto the sofas and bunk beds of their nearest and dearest, resulting in the two painfully separating from each other until they can sell their place and find cheaper lodgings. 'Love Is Strange' not only focuses on how the situation affects the central couple but also how it burdens on lives of the families and friends who have (somewhat reluctantly) given up their homes and more importantly, their privacy for them. 

Much like his other LGBT themed films, Sachs injects something of an auto-biographical edge to 'Love Is Strange' and it is clear from the techniques used to tell it that the movie means an awful lot to him. But when compared to his other movies such as 'Keep The Lights On' or 'Forty Shades Of Blue' , 'Love Is Strange' isn't a standout. The script while interesting and heartfelt isn't going to win any awards and the direction from Sachs is typically delicate but lacks any particular pizazz or spark.

However, what makes 'Love Is Strange' completely unmissable is the performances from John Lithgow and Alfred Molina who, without a tinge of stereotype, portray one of the most believable couples I have seen in the movies for a very long time. The two are always a joy to watch on screen and it is an absolute pleasure to see both actors be so comfortable with each other, both as characters and in reality. Both evoke deep empathy and compassion and you would have to have a heart of stone to not want to see this relationship survive and for the two to be truly happy once again. It is this emotionality that serves as the driving force of the movie and it works beautifully. The supporting cast which includes an understated Marisa Tomei and Darren Burrows is also very strong and the other relationships in the film are portrayed with an equal realism and respect - but it the two magnetic leads which hold the entire piece together

If it had starred any other actors, 'Love Is Strange' could have easily been a made for TV or 'issue of the week' movie. However, it is the performances that pushes it above it's conventions and allows it to stand out amongst the other romantic dramas released over the past year or so. It is told with a maturity and dignity that many so-called adult movies have today and while it may not be completely faultless, there is no doubt that the movie works incredibly well as a well-rounded and completely relatable portrait of true love. Touching, funny, charming, heart-breaking and quite wonderful, 'Love Is Strange' is a much more appropriate and infinitely more romantic movie than other film released this Valentines season.