Beautiful Thing

By the time this was released I was already in my 20's but still this tale of teenage love and awakening desire between these two boys stirred something inside of me and now in my 40's it still breaks my heart and how misspent my youth was, afraid of what others would think of me.

Such bravery in the story telling, so frank and honest in it's portrayal of a same sex love at that time - I adore this movie how ever dated it may feel now. The message still remains - Make your own kind of music !!

Great casting, wonderful soundtrack and, for a change for a movie about gay love, a happy ending !!

The film will always remain in my heart of what could have been for me xxx

This film is about two teenagers in a deprived neighbourhood coming out and falling for each other.

Character development is excellent in the movie. The impoverished neighbourhood and the rough people are shown right from the beginning. Ste is an abused teenager, and the mere sight of him evokes sympathy. Jamie's courage and insistence on Ste is to be admired. This film tells the fear and confusion of coming out. A particularly memorable scene is when Ste cries in next to Sandra in her apartment. He cries with his face turned away from Sandra, with his hands covering one side of his face. To me, it is such a powerful scene, because it sums up all the confusion, shame, fear and hurt Ste must have felt in his premature involuntary coming out. The film is warm and affecting. I am glad about the happy ending, which is much needed to bring gay teenagers hope and comfort.

Once again, I am overwhelmed by the excellence of British film-making & acting. I truly bow to the British honing of the craft of acting, which is brilliantly presented in this film. Storyline aside, the acting of the mother "Sandra" is superb; you feel every emotion on her face as she struggles to make a better life for herself and her son, as well as accept her son's growing awareness of his own sexuality. Remarkably, she is my favourite character in this film, notwithstanding the performances of the 2 boys, who are superb. The boyfriend, Tony, is also wonderful as a supporting character. My favourite scenes are actually sequential: first, the shot of Sandra following the boys in a cab, as the shock & turmoil of her emotions is beautifully portrayed during this scene; second, the followup scene with the boys in the park, probably, for me, the most wonderfully innocent, beautiful and intimate scene in the film. I'm probably being silly; every scene in this beautiful film is a treasure and at triumph, for anyone who's ever been in love. I know I will treasure this film always.

It seems when it comes to gay-themed movies, the Brits outdo us Americans hands down. This movie is another example of this fact. This movie rates as one of the best in this genre. Get Real comes a close second.

The young actors that play Jamie and Ste do an extraordinary job sometimes forgetting how well they pull off such complex characters throughout the movie. I think any gay man growing up can relate to Jamie. He doesn't excel in sports, and almost too smart for his own mother. He is comfortable with his sexuality, and he doesn't give a damn what the world thinks of him. Ste, on the other hand, fears his older brother, and his father made his life miserable. As he states in the film, "they made me ugly". Ste is not all ugly, and Jamie realizes this, and is attracted to his brash, manly demeanor. Unfortunately, Ste's own demons and his insecurities are present throughout the film. At one point, Ste ashamed of rumors of his questionable sexuality, denies it to a heartbroken Jamie.

Obviously, I enjoyed this movie. The scenes between Jamie and his mother and likewise, between Jamie and Ste, are perhaps the best parts of the movie. I understand having Leah in the movie to provide the supporting role of comic relief was a necessity in most film requirements, but in this one, it distracted the viewer to an extent. I was so glad when it came out on DVD, so I can put my last VHS tape to rest, but disappointed that there were no cast interviews or extras at the end. Granted, the movie was made six years or so after the DVD came out, but you might think the film makers would find something of interest.

So England what will be the next great gay movie ?

A wonderful story of gay teenagers that is ideal for parents to show their children; so that they understand that gay people may be different, but not bad. Faithful to the play, great music score and gives a real feeling of English tenements.