The latest Harry Potter movie and Country Strong are both out on DVD this week, but if you’re looking for something a bit more gay, I suggest picking up a somewhat forgotten classic, Beautiful Thing.
The story of a working class British boy coming out and falling in love, and featuring a soundtrack of Mama Cass songs, Hettie Macdonald’s movie based on Jonathan Harvey’s play is, after Brokeback Mountain, the most moving and authentic gay romance I have ever seen.
It’s funny and quirky, and the experience of the teen lovers Ste and Jamie is difficult, fraught with violence and ambivalence.
But it is also revelatory. When I saw the movie in 1996, I experienced the uplift of seeing my fears and feelings depicted on screen with care and love for the first time.
