Starring : Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Dominic West, Paddy Considine
Director : Matthew Warchus
Writer : Stephen Beresford
Good morning everyone, it's Monday, time for another review!
I've had a few people recommend Pride to me over the past weeks and some great reviews have started to generate real momentum. You might think a film about a group of gays and lesbians raising money to support the miners strike of 1984 is niche but for me it's a prime example of what British cinema should aspire to be (the film is produced by BBC films), it is a film that speaks to everyone. Pride fills you with joy, passion and a desire to make a difference. I came out of the cinema in a sort of trance, feeling like I could go and change the world, what better sense of purpose could you have in life? Granted I went home and watched 4 straight hours of football but I am still holding onto that feeling - it's that sort of high that only cinema can give you and makes me want to come back for more.
Pride follows the true story of how the group, Gay's and Lesbians United helped to raise money to help support the miners strike of 1984. They come together under the incredibly uncatchy name LGSM (lesbians and gays support the miners). Knocked back by the National Union for Miners they instead go direct to a tiny mining town in South Wales. The town, like much of the the rest of the country at the time, has a very prejudiced view of homosexuals, but it is the challenge of overcoming that prejudice that brings the miners and the LGSM together, united in their determination to alleviate suffering. Paddy Considine, an actor I have always admired but didn’t really understand why, but now I do, plays Dai, the mining leader of this minutely populated town. It is Considine who delivers the first spine-shivering moment. His speech in a fantastical gay club, about the uphill challenge they both face in their respective fights against the government and the press, leaves the crowd roaring in delight and it marks the point in the film when you just want to get up and join in the fight. This theme of determination and defiance is what generates such passion in the film.
It's a breath of fresh air to see a cast who obviously bonded during the filming process and clearly had a really great time making it. There are performances of equal quality to Considine, Dominic West, the drag queen of the group as Jonathan, has a stand out moment when he parades his dancing skills inside the town hall, dancing on tables and spinning all the screaming girls who are delighted to see a man on the dance floor for the first time. It really makes you want to stand up and dance along, and it certainly does this for a few of the mining lads who enrol Jonathan to be their dance coach, culminating in both miners 'pulling' at the 'Pitts and Perverts' benefit concert. Andrew Scott, who seems to completely excel in every role he plays, is also worth a mention playing Jonathan's boyfriend Gethin with an incredible range of emotions all accessed with such simplicity.
George Mackay plays Joe, the shyest member of the group, who as well as dealing with the demands of fundraising, has yet to find the right time to tell his parents about his sexuality. Inevitably they find out and are furious, something I sadly think a lot of gay men and women will have experienced in their lives but one hopes a film like this will do a lot to change peoples perceptions. Joe finds support and a second family within the town folk and the other LGSM members. A recurring theme of this film is the importance of supporting your friends and family through tough times and being able to rejoice together when you come out the other end still standing.
The interaction between this small minded Welsh town and the LGSM, opens the eyes of the community to the endless joys this gay community bring, and one would hope to any sceptical audience members who see this film. Pride won the Queer Palm award at Cannes, a fitting tribute which comes at a moment when we can now celebrate the legalising of gay marriage. I urge you to go see Pride, allow yourself to become inspired, motivated and see all the fantastic elements of Britain played out in a beautiful film.
Josef
#PRIDE
#JKfilmreview
Twitter - @josefkaplicky
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