Heartbreakers don’t come much more true to life than in “Love is Strange,” the latest from filmmaker virtuoso Ira Sachs, whose past work includes the marvelous “Forty Shades of Blue” and “Married Life.”
His latest, starring John Lithgow and Alfred Molina as a same-sex couple living in New York City, may be his greatest yet – a tender and deeply moving examination of life’s tumult that proves all the more affecting for how understated it is. After nearly 40 years together, these lovers – Ben (Lithgow) and George (Molina) – finally tie the knot, with the unexpected side-effect of George losing his job at a Catholic school, despite his having been openly gay for the majority of his career.
Now unable to afford their apartment, Ben and George are forced to split up, moving in with friends and family. Following in the footsteps of such great works as the classic tearjerker “Make Way for Tomorrow” and the recent gem “In the Family,” “Love is Strange” tackles social issues otherwise hidden in plain view, eschewing grandstanding for a more direct observation of the way these ills affect people, both directly and indirectly.
The effect is even greater than subversion; implicitly, it argues that these are not merely political issues, but human ones, and when one group is persecuted, we all are.
Sachs’ film, which he co-wrote, is alternately joyous and devastating, favoring long takes and deliberately-paced scenes that emphasize the minutiae of human interaction, forgoing judgment of its characters for the more difficult but accurate truths that bad things sometimes happen to good people, and that trying to help can also prove hurtful.
Molina and Lithgow are a marvelous presence, establishing such potent chemistry that it remains tangible during their long stretches apart. It’s unlikely that a deeper romance will be released this calendar year.
“Love is Strange” opens at the Goggleworks Theatre on Friday, Oct. 24.
Robert Humanick is a contributing writer for slantmagazine.com
Follow Rob on Twitter @rhumanick
