When I stumbled across COMMON GROUND on a Youtube search I looked the cast on IMDB and seeing all the famous names, I knew I had to see it. And to my surprise, I ended up nearly loving it.
The film is parted into three different stories dealing with homosexuality: the first is about young Dorothy Nelson (Brittany Murphy) that in the 1950s joins the United States Navy and meets a section for homosexual servicemembers, but when a nightclub where she went is raided she is discharged for sexual perversion and back in Homer she tries to restart her life as a public school teacher but she can't because of the discharge and when her homosexuality becomes known to all her mother expels her from the house and Nelson becomes homeless until another woman recommends her to go to the Bohemian Greenwich Village for freeing herself.
The second story is set in the 1970s where Mr Roberts, a high school French teacher has one of his students, Toby, that wants to come out and hopes that the teacher should be his confidant. Mr Roberts has to keep his homosexuality a secret for fear of losing his job. Toby is later assaulted by bullies and Roberts has to come out to his students and lectures them on the evils of bias-motivated hatred. Toby graduates from high school and leaves Homer to attend college in the big city.
The third and final story is set in 2000 when two men have to get married and Ira (Ed Asner), the father of one of the two men, wants to lead a protest against this but the son is nervous for getting married and doing something unusual for homosexuals at the time. In the end, father and son reconcile and the marriage takes place.
The stories were nice and the acting was great by all involved. And although there are sad moments (not surprising considering the subject) there are lots of optimistic moments as well, and gives a nice view about same-sex relationships. Not to be missed if you stumble upon it on Youtube.
The film is parted into three different stories dealing with homosexuality: the first is about young Dorothy Nelson (Brittany Murphy) that in the 1950s joins the United States Navy and meets a section for homosexual servicemembers, but when a nightclub where she went is raided she is discharged for sexual perversion and back in Homer she tries to restart her life as a public school teacher but she can't because of the discharge and when her homosexuality becomes known to all her mother expels her from the house and Nelson becomes homeless until another woman recommends her to go to the Bohemian Greenwich Village for freeing herself.
The second story is set in the 1970s where Mr Roberts, a high school French teacher has one of his students, Toby, that wants to come out and hopes that the teacher should be his confidant. Mr Roberts has to keep his homosexuality a secret for fear of losing his job. Toby is later assaulted by bullies and Roberts has to come out to his students and lectures them on the evils of bias-motivated hatred. Toby graduates from high school and leaves Homer to attend college in the big city.
The third and final story is set in 2000 when two men have to get married and Ira (Ed Asner), the father of one of the two men, wants to lead a protest against this but the son is nervous for getting married and doing something unusual for homosexuals at the time. In the end, father and son reconcile and the marriage takes place.
The stories were nice and the acting was great by all involved. And although there are sad moments (not surprising considering the subject) there are lots of optimistic moments as well, and gives a nice view about same-sex relationships. Not to be missed if you stumble upon it on Youtube.