Director Bette Gordon
Cast: Jamey Sheridan, Steve Buscemi, Mariann Mayberry, John Savage, Aidan Quinn, Campbell Scott, Titus Welliver, Karen Young.
Handsome Harry is a full blown political/emotional film that puts a human face and cost to the anti gay prejudice that haunts us even today. It does it with the heavy hand of the anti Vietnam era: both events, gays in the military and the Vietnam war endured because people were as scared to speak out against the war in Vietnam as they were to speak out against public opinion and the military official policy on gays in the military.
To see the consequences of these societal ills brought into the focus of a mystery unfolding made the film's 94 minutes seem like an entire Universe. It was intense time punctuated by the post script that states that the film is dedicated to one man but it could have been/should have been dedicated to two men and all the men who suffer because of their love for one another.
The film unravels through a long road trip in search of Marine buddies from 30 years ago. This trip affords the viewer insight into what happens to white American boys we send over seas. The distortions of their lives, the pain from war and wear and tear on the psyche that this country does to people in the military is put into clear relief through the road trip theatrical device.
The dialogue is very clever, short crisp, inviting and the love scenes are so powerful; the underplay of the visual while enhancing the emotional element of making love really works in the three sexual scenes. Beautiful colors, motions in sharp contrast to what comes before and what follows these precious physcial moments.
This is a film that should go to the top of he charts, a film that had me crying even before the end.
Don't see it only for the tears but for the strength of great film making. It isn't perfect but it is so very powerful.
Open April 16th
Lina Zises
WBAI Radio
criticalwomen.net
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