Review of Love Is Strange

Love is indeed strange, elusive and even painful at times. New York filmmaker Ira Sachs often explores queer politics and gay themes, but this poignant, bittersweet and touching comic drama is arguable his most accessible film yet. And it is certainly a nice change of pace from his more confronting and semi-autobiographical Keep The Lights On. Love Is Strange benefits enormously from a pair of winning, sympathetic performances from John Lithgow (3rd Rock From The Sun, etc) and Alfred Molina (Maverick, etc) as Ben and George, a gay couple who have lived together for nearly four decades. But when they get married their circumstances change drastically. George loses his job as a music teacher at a Catholic school, and the pair are forced to leave the apartment that has been their home for the past two decades. While they look for a new apartment, the pair are forced to temporarily live apart. Ben moves in with the family of his nephew Elliott (Darren Burrows), and shares a bunk bed with their teenage son Joey (Charlie Tahan from Charlie St Cloud, etc), who resents the loss of his privacy. George sleeps on the couch of their neighbours, a couple of NY cops whose hard partying is at odds with his quiet lifestyle. The two find it hard to adjust, and living apart puts further strain on their relationship. Sachs looks at themes of family, relationships, gay marriage, and explores how Ben and George cope with their late life crisis and changed circumstances. Marisa Tomei is good as Elliott's wife, a writer who finds Ben's presence too much of a distraction from her own work. However, there are a number of subplots woven throughout the narrative that are not entirely satisfactorily resolved, the complex relationship between Joey and fellow student Vlad (Eric Tabach in his film debut). Sach's direction is sensitive and subtle, but it is the strong performances of Lithgow and Molina that give the film its sense of heart.