Love Is Strange (2014)

After Ben and George get married, George is fired from his teaching post, forcing them to stay with friends separately while they sell their place and look for cheaper housing -- a situation that weighs heavily on all involved.

Director:

Ira Sachs

Writers:

Ira Sachs, Mauricio Zacharias

Stars:

John Lithgow, Alfred Molina, Marisa Tomei

2 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Alfred Molina	...	George Garea
John Lithgow	...	Ben Hull
Darren E. Burrows	...	Elliot Hull (as Darren Burrows)
Charlie Tahan	...	Joey Hull
Cheyenne Jackson	...	Ted
Manny Perez	...	Roberto
Christina Kirk	...	Mindy
Marisa Tomei	...	Kate Hull
Tank Burt	...	Doreen
Christian Coulson	...	Ian
John Cullum	...	Father Raymond
Harriet Sansom Harris	...	Honey (as Harriet Harris)
Adriane Lenox	...	Principal
Jason Stuart	...	Officiant
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
David Bell	...	David

Storyline

After nearly four decades together, Ben (John Lithgow) and George (Alfred Molina) finally tie the knot in an idyllic wedding ceremony in lower Manhattan. But when George loses his job soon after, the couple must sell their apartment and - victims of the relentless New York City real estate market - temporarily live apart until they can find an affordable new home. While George moves in with two cops (Cheyenne Jackson and Manny Perez) who live down stairs, Ben lands in Brooklyn with his nephew (Darren Burrows), his wife (Marisa Tomei), and their temperamental teenage son (Charlie Tahan), with whom Ben shares a bunk bed. While struggling with the pain of separation, Ben and George are further challenged by the intergenerational tensions and capricious family dynamics of their new living arrangements.

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Plot Keywords:

older man older man relationship | gay marriage | gay couple | gay love | same sex marriage | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA Greece

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

18 December 2014 (Greece)

Also Known As:

El amor es extraño

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$117,276, 24 August 2014

Gross USA:

$2,262,223

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,057,388

Company Credits

Production Co:

Parts and Labor, Faliro House Productions, Film50

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ben's paintings were done by painter Boris Torres, who is also director Ira Sachs' husband.

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Goofs

When George advises the young girl playing a Frédéric Chopin piece on the piano (supposedly without sufficient feeling), that she should let the music take her somewhere, surprise or even overwhelm her, he says that this is as important as "knowing the difference between a half-step and a semitone". Fact is, a half-step IS a semitone; there is no difference at all.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Ben: My glasses. I can't find my glasses.

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Connections

Referenced in Fake or Fortune?: Lowry (2015)

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Soundtracks

Piano Sonata No. 28
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Idil Biret
Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc.

User Reviews

Heartfelt story of human interaction

There is only one thing I didn't like about this film: the title. It's so bland. And it doesn't even have anything to do with what this film is about. It's not about a strange love affair, but about a very normal one.

Apart from that, I liked everything about 'Love is Strange'. It is a film about how people live, love, talk, help each other out, appreciate each other and sometimes work on each other's nerves. Maybe that doesn't sound too exciting, but it's enough to keep on watching, and be moved by what you see.

The film tells the story of an older couple, who are forced to leave their Manhattan apartment after one of them is fired from his teaching position. They temporarily move in with relatives and neighbours, until they have found a new place of their own. The film shows the interaction between civilized and polite people who are all perfectly willing to help each other, but nevertheless are increasingly annoyed by the uneasy situations caused by the arrangement.

Some scenes are funny in an understated way, and make you softly chuckle in your seat. Others are emotional, but never melodramatic. I think the word that best describes the general mood of the picture is 'heartfelt'. The director does a perfect job in balancing the emotions. Some scenes are very elongated and show little action, which gives an intense effect in combination with the wonderful and very prominent soundtrack consisting of piano pieces by Chopin. The music has a special meaning, because it is the music that one of the lead characters teaches his piano pupils.

The couple is gay, but that doesn't really matter. The film could just as well have been about a straight couple, with some minor script changes. But the couple fits in perfectly in the liberal, open minded, intellectual New York circles where the movie is set. (The sort of people who think it's almost impossible to survive in Poughkeepsie when you're used to Manhattan). In fact, those are exactly the same circles Woody Allen prefers for his films, and sometimes 'Love is Strange' reminded me of Allen's best films, like 'Blue Jasmine', minus the usual neurotic behaviour by the lead characters.