There is a list of foreign classic gay movies that was released in 1988. With a three-stage structure, it outlines the three most important men in the life of a "draft queen" and the joys and sorrows between them. Although it is an old movie from 1988, the vision is so avant-garde and the plot is so moving. The story in the movie still takes place in the present. This movie is called "Same-Sex Three-Party".
Arnold is a gay who makes a living in cross-dressing. Since he was a child, he has liked fancy dresses and greased powder. He is still alone in his middle age. Soon after the film opened, he made a bold and candid self-deprecation-his ignorance of his appearance and helplessness of his age, his pessimistic, shy and sensitive personality also shook out in his own words.
Ed is the first important man Arnold met in his life besides his father. The two fell in love at first sight at the gay bar, quickly began a sweet love, and lived a happy life together for two weeks. It's a pity that the good times didn't last long. On the day of Arnold's birthday, due to Ed's unexcused absence, he found the other party's house by himself, only to find that the other party was preparing to spend the world of two with a girl. The disappointed Arnold left angrily. The two had a dispute in the elevator. Arnold asked each other: "You know you want to be with a man. How can you have dignity when you sleep with a woman? How can you get it? Anyone’s respect? If you can’t even do it, how can you respect yourself?” And choosing to leave honourably is what Arnold considers to be self-esteem.
It turns out that Ed is a bisexual and can choose to associate with men. Once he wants to settle down, he will choose women without hesitation. Arnold's boyfriend later asked him why he separated from Ed. Arnold said the biggest difference between the two: "I want a husband, and he wants a wife." In fact, both parties want to have one of their own. Family, it's just that Ed wants a family that meets secular standards.
Two years later, Arnold met Allen, the second important man in his life, a young and handsome foreign guy in a drag show. The two of them didn't know each other. Allen's friends repeatedly insulted Arnold who was performing. They were taught by the unfair guests. Allen was so scared that he passed out and was taken in by the magnanimous Arnold for the night. For the first time in Allen's life, he felt the difference that someone treats himself. Before that, "everyone I met only wanted to be with me when they first met me." The treatment of Arnold and the former is quite different: "Everyone I meet, after a glance, they just want to chat with me." Yes, most people belong to the "Appearance Association", and comrades Forced by the living environment, it is easier to judge people by their appearances when they cannot fully understand the same kind. The reality is so cruel!
As a result, the 21-year-old Allen launched a fierce pursuit of Arnold, who had already entered middle age. The relationship between the two of them has finally reached the point of building a nest of love and adopting a child after a series of years of running-in. God once again joked with Arnold, and Allen died on the street during an emergency rescue. Later, Arnold was irritated when his mother thought that the love between him and Allen was not worthy of being compared with the love between her and his deceased father: " You lost your husband in a clean hospital, and I lost in a dirty street. My love. They killed him on the street. He died on the street at the age of 27 and was beaten to death with a baseball bat by a group of children. Yes, mother, was killed by a group of children, a group of children who thought the same as you: Homosexuality is nothing, homosexuality does not deserve to have love, and all of this is what they asked for. "After the loss of a beloved one, Arnold has no right to mourn for each other. Everything around him would not change because of Allen's death, as if everyone in this world except Arnold didn't care if Allen's life had ever existed. Discrimination continues, misunderstanding continues...
After Allen's death, the 15-year-old David they adopted became the third important man in Arnold's life-his legal son. Ed also chose to return to him after separating from his wife to help him take care of his son, forming another A family of three in a sense. When Ed offered to start again, Arnold sensibly refused. It was not that he did not love, but that he needed a partner who bravely confronted all the rumors. He was afraid that Ed would have another whim.
The beginning of all love stories is as beautiful as a fairy tale. When each couple first fell in love, they always carried all kinds of beautiful fantasies, thinking that as long as the two fell in love, all difficulties could be overcome, but they did not consider what they would do to tide over the difficulties. The real life has just begun. In Arnold’s two relationships, the warmth with Allen is too warm like a fairy tale. Only when Allen is killed by a homophobic can really touch the wall of reality. Perhaps it is the truth of life.
On the other side, the appearance of David also gave Arnold a deep communication with his mother who had been estranged for many years, even if it was a quarrel. The quarrel between Arnold and his mother is an example of the relationship between comrades and mother. The emotional and profound dialogue brought the whole film to a climax.
The mother mistakenly thought David was a heterosexual child, so she firmly opposed Arnold's adoption of a child: "Think about this child, he sees your lifestyle, don't you think it will affect him more or less?" When Arnold said about David When it was also the truth about homosexuality, her mother looked in disbelief. She thought that the reason why she became homosexual was entirely affected by acquired influence. Arnold bluntly stated the fact: "He was born like this." But his mother wished to believe that "No one would. Born to be like this", as long as such an acquired environment does not appear, it will not exist.
Arnold hopes that stubborn mothers will learn to empathize: "Mom, try to think about how the world works in another way, think about every book, every magazine, every newspaper, every TV show, every This movie tells you that you should be a gay, but you know you are not..." Rather than deceiving yourself, he chose to face himself honestly: "I am gay, I don’t know what other people have to do with that. This is who I am, and it has been this way since I can remember, long before I knew it was different or wrong... You wish I was a straight man, but I am not!"
From beginning to end, all the mother wanted was not to talk about homosexuality in her life. Just like most people in real life, even if they know the existence of homosexuality, they have never tried to understand them, so misunderstanding and disagreement arise. Therefore, Arnold said the most deafening passage in the film: " You want to be a part of my life. I can't help but say what you don’t like. There is one thing you’d better understand: I can teach myself to sew and cook. Art and repairing furniture, I can even comfort myself when I need it, so I don’t ask anyone for anything. I don’t need anything to be given to me except love and respect. And anyone who can’t give me these two things, I have nowhere to put it in my life. "
In fact, the relationship between mother and son has been stiff and alienated over the years. In addition to the social environment, both parties also bear great responsibilities. The son blames the mother for not being tolerant and understanding him, while the mother blames the son for never treating her. Open your heart: "You pushed me out of your life, and then you blamed me for not being there." He obviously cared about each other, but refused to say it. Fortunately, the two reconciled before their mother left.
At the end of the film, Arnold holds the oranges brought by his mother and the objects representing the three men he loves deeply, smiles and embraces all the love in his arms, with tears in his eyes and a happy face.
Sometimes sweet, sometimes quarreling, sometimes dependent, sometimes tired, sometimes falling in love, sometimes breaking up, this is reality, this is life. Is there a lasting love affair? Of course there are, but it's often hard to come by. What comrades can do is to love themselves well, talk about the most worthwhile love, and live the most independent life! As the "Sex Education" said: "Love is more of shit luck. Sometimes you meet people who empathize with you, sometimes you are unlucky, but one day you will meet people who cherish you. There are 70 people on this planet. Hundreds of millions of people, I believe there will always be someone who will win the stars for you."
View more about Torch Song Trilogy reviews