Beautiful Thing

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Film Description

A touching portrait of blossoming love between two teenage boys during a long hot summer on a housing estate in South London. Acclaimed for its sincerity and non-exploitative stance, this tender-hearted drama from Channel Four Films was adapted from the play by Jonathan Harvey.

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Review by Alex Davidson on 12th May 2004

A simple tale of two male working-class teenagers who fall in love with one another, Beautiful Thing has deservedly become one of the most acclaimed gay films in recent years; Attitude magazine voted it the best gay film ever made. A terrific script blends biting wit with very moving scenes, and, like the similar-themed Show Me Love, it depicts the thrill of first love perfectly, particularly in the charming scene in which the boys run ecstatically through the forest.

Although the film is very sensitive to the feelings of the two boys’ sexuality, the film is packed with witty exchanges, often between Jamie and his sarcastic mother (played brilliantly by Linda Henry, better known as Yvonne Atkins from Bad Girls). There are also some classic moments when a serious scene is wickedly undercut by a sudden unexpected occurrence, such as in the “coming out” scene.

Bizarrely, screenplay writer Jonathan Harvey (on whose play the film is based), who creates a sensitiv e, appealing picture of gay life in this movie, went on to write the horrendous series Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, which featured every camp old cliché in the book wheeled out for the purposes of “comedy”. Still, Orson Welles made Citizen Kane and the frozen pea commercials, proving geniuses can be temperamental beasts. With Beautiful Thing, Harvey, along with director Hettie MacDonald, has made one of the most delightful films of the 1990s, with a cracking script, strong performances and a magical, unforgettable ending.

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This film is part of the following Film Collections

Female Directors

Including: A Ma Soeur, American Psycho, An Angel At My Table, Anatomy Of Hell, At Five In The Afternoon, Awakenings, Beau Travail, Beautiful Thing, Bend It Like Beckham, Better Than Chocolate.

The Best of Gay and Lesbian Cinema

Including: 100 Days Before The Command, 15, All About My Mother, All Over Me, Another Way, Bad Education, Beau Travail, Beautiful Thing, Blue Gate Crossing, Boyfriends.

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