Produced by Netflix, one of the few movies that is still online this year against the backdrop of the global epidemic. Ryan Murphy is the producer. This film brings together a group of well-known publicly gay male actors in contemporary Hollywood, such as Jim Parsons, Matt Bomer, Zachary Quinto, etc. Some people jokingly call this film "the gay that RM worked with him", but he may be the only one who can gather this group of "Queens" into one film, and our audience will enjoy it obediently.
The film is adapted from a stage play, but it circumvents the biggest shortcoming of the adapted script—the sense of drama is too heavy and the traces of lines are obvious. Performing on stage undoubtedly requires moderately exaggerated movements and tone to achieve dramatic tension. If it is copied to the screen and close-up shots, it will make the audience feel uncomfortable. And this contradiction is easily solved by the characters in the film: the natural expressiveness of homosexuality, which is what we call "playing spirit". When Emory plays with Alan with witty words, you don't think he is playing a role, but this person is born so unrestrained and romantic, so loud. Emphasis on Jim Parsons, as a loyal fan of "The Big Bang Theory", his performance made me never think of "thank my ears" in a play, but saw a southern comrade who often speaks badly in order to protect myself. The fragility under the sharp words is broken at the touch of a touch, and it is very good to handle it. At the same time, the appeal of the stage play itself directly stimulates the senses of the audience under the superior acting skills, and the sense of presence is excellent.
The characters in the play each represent the difficulties encountered by the identity of homosexuality at different levels of society. As a devout Catholic, Michael dare not abandon his belief in God, but he can't stand the internal torture. When the lanterns went out and the party fell, he still chose religion to escape reality. On the surface, Hank looked like the husband of an ordinary middle-class family, but after doubting himself again and again, he broke his identity and chose an undoubtedly more difficult path. As the only black comrade in the film, Bernard's dual identities of ethnic and sexual minorities make him also subject to racial discrimination at gatherings with friends. Although it is a story set in New York fifty years ago, the hardships seem not outdated now.
Finally, I can’t help but sigh, please give these outstanding actors some more acting! Although it shows that Hollywood has a high acceptance of LGBTQ groups, and more and more actors have disclosed their sexuality, in fact, their job opportunities have shrunk significantly compared to before they came out. It is rarely seen on the annual "golden list" of actors. LGBTQ people can get a glimpse. Take Peacock, for example, the momentum was very strong back then, and the hot drama movies all made their mark. However, after coming out of the closet, commercial blockbusters were rarely led, and they turned to independent film, Broadway and director work. Maybe it is the shift of work focus, but I still hope that he can appear in blockbusters such as Marvel. After all, there is a face, a figure, and an acting skill. Not appearing on the big screen is a loss for the audience. If Naoto can play roles with different sexual orientations, why not the other way around? The stone wall fell, that era has passed, but there are tens of thousands of "transparent" walls that need to be overthrown.
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