I bought this on video and found it to be as comforting and reassuring a film as any romantic could wish for.
Two men meet on a beach, in slightly bizarre fashion. A young and rather sad homosexual, Harry, spurned and rejected by the big city gay community, due to a birth-mark the shape of Madagascar on his face. The other - Flint, a weather-worn (and seemingly heterosexual) sea-urchin prone to swallowing mice and spiders (rather gross this!).
They set up house together in a clay cottage by the sea. Initially nothing much happens between them. Harry is attracted to Flint, but fears another rejection.
("I'm going to die alone, and no-one, ever, will have touched me!")
Yet slowly, mutual affection wins the day. In a touching and believable manner, Flint woos Harry and wins him over. Yet, as they are squatters and outcasts in an unfeeling society, there is always the threat of exterior forces ripping open the idyll.
Madagascar skin is a romantic treat. Some may find the symbolic shots of starfish, scuttlefish, crabs (and shoes?) stranded on a beach distracting, while the dream-sequences sometimes disrupt what is basically a straight-forward story. But this is nitpicking. The story of two people finding strength and love in each other's company wins you over in the end.
The message would read, like the title of an old Stephen Stills song: "LOVE THE ONE YOU'RE WITH." And the actors work wonders with their characters. Bernard Hill is excellent as Flint, while John Hannah takes risks with almost every part he plays.
A great film from Channel 4 and the British Film Institute. You'll love it "as long as you're straight!"
