THE STORY – Set in late 1980s New York City, the film follows Jimmy George, an actor facing a life-threatening illness, who takes on what may be his final major role.
THE CAST – Rami Malek, Tom Sturridge, Luther Ford, Rebecca Hall & Ebon Moss-Bachrach
THE TEAM – Ira Sachs (Director/Writer) & Mauricio Zacharias (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 96 Minutes
Ira Sachs isn’t afraid to center his films around characters who can charitably be called “difficult.” His master work “Passages” is an exploration of a narcissist and the fallout of his constant selfish actions. “Keep the Lights On” tells the story of a man’s understandably frustrating relationship with a drug addict. And his first feature, “The Delta,” is a sexy, frightening story about a dangerously doomed pair of men. The acclaimed director’s latest, “The Man I Love,” is yet another look at a man who can’t seem to help but hurt those around him, even if the present circumstances of his life inherently inspire sympathy. Namely, he’s a gay man in 1980s New York City trying his best to live life on his own terms despite his AIDS diagnosis (although, refreshingly, no character ever utters the abbreviations “AIDS” or “HIV,” just as many at the time knew about its presence without having to put words to it). And yet, even with the very apparent ticking clock he faces (or perhaps because of it), he lets his unchecked impulses guide him, no matter who they may affect and how. It’s an honest, melancholy tale that pushes against the typical idea of the saintlike sufferer, instead portraying the central character as a credibly flawed individual. And just as he always does, Ira Sachs rejects stereotypes and expectations to deliver something that feels candidly close to life.
The central figure in question is Jimmy George, played by Rami Malek. He’s an actor, currently working on a strange, gender-bending stage adaptation of André Brassard’s 1974 film “Il était une fois dans l’est.” He spends his time rehearsing the piece, both at the performance space and in the apartment that he shares with his partner Dennis (Tom Sturridge). At the film’s start, a gorgeous new neighbor named Vincent (Luther Ford) is in the process of moving in next door, and he and Jimmy immediately make a connection.
Although this may sound like the start of a messy love triangle, the well-established writing team of Sachs and Mauricio Zacharias (in their sixth collaboration) is clearly uninterested in investing their story with the commonly-depicted twists and turns of an unorthodox relationship. Instead, their screenplay pushes against such cliches and views the characters from a non-judgmental distance. It would be easy to have Jimmy be a malevolent figure of chaos or to have Dennis be the quietly sad spurned lover. Instead, Dennis is patient but deliberate in his care of Jimmy, as if he knows that to try and fight his partner’s hasty nature would be a waste of time, especially given Jimmy’s grim prospects. In fact, Dennis is the unassuming heart of the film, and Sturridge plays him with a no-nonsense focus that makes him inherently magnetic. The title could even be interpreted as being from his perspective, further underlining his devotion to the difficult man to whom he’s devoted. Sturridge subtly leans into this attachment, straddling the line between lover and nurse with an understanding energy that manages to never feel pitiable or pathetic.
As Jimmy, Rami Malek turns in what’s undoubtedly his best performance yet. Early on in the film, Jimmy commands attention at a party by displaying the ways in which he can amend his body language to alter others’ perception of him.This calculated physicality could also describe the way that Malek moves through the film. He’s controlled in his movements and often feels wound up, as if Jimmy is making a conscious musculoskeletal effort to keep himself from quite literally falling apart. Even more impressively, he’s shown rehearsing his play in long, luxuriant takes, with Sachs allowing Malek to try different line readings and interpretations as Jimmy in a way that feels excitingly unvarnished. At times, he feels a bit overlayered with acting tics, but given that he’s playing somebody with a natural inclination toward the dramatic, it’s forgivable. And in portraying a natural performer, he even gets the chance to sing, showing off his enviable voice (no lip syncing here!) His brief but smoldering performance of the Gershwin song from which the film getsits title is particularly memorable.
Additionally, he’s not the only one with a tune to share (although it can hardly be called a musical, as the film has been sporadically described). In the aforementioned party scene, Jimmy’s family and the members of his theatrical ensemble all get a turn to sing a snippet of a song a cappella, including Rebecca Hall. The stupendously talented actress (who was understatedly brilliant in Sachs’ last film “Peter Hujar’s Day”) plays Jimmy’s sister Brenda. Although her screentime is unfortunately brief, as always, she still makes an impression. Her accent work is impeccable, and her emotional display is perfectly calibrated. Watching a single tear build up in the corner of her eye proves to be a highlight of her otherwise realistically unshowy performance.
Making his film debut, Luther Ford (best known for playing Prince Harry on “The Crown”) is magnetic as Vincent, the latest focus of Jimmy’s attention. Although it’s obvious from his look and his spontaneous behavior that he’s much younger than the couple that lives above him, Ford smartly plays Vincent as a man trying to look wiser and more mature than he appears. Vincent equates maturity with certainty (and vice versa), as if being an adult means having everything fully figured out. But as anyone no longer in their twenties can attest, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Ford’s bright red hair matches the fiery path he carves through the world, and the young actor clearly has a handle on how to portray the kind of three-dimensional character typically found in Sachs’ films.
Just because the subject matter may be a bit glum doesn’t mean that this film shirks fabulosity. As in “Passages,” the costumes are a standout, designed here by Megan Gray. Smartly, the shoulder pads and bright colors that have come to be satirically associated with the 80s are nowhere to be found. Instead, the clothes are refined yet gorgeous and flattering, painting a plausible picture of metropolitan taste. Jimmy’s collection of smart polos is particularly lovely. And the costume Malek wears as a female character in the play in which his character is performing briefly gives the film a momentary bit of absurd levity (even if Malek’s difficulty walking in heels is giving first-time in drag realness).
When one character warns him about the potential dangers of his reckless behavior, Vincent curtly responds with “life happens.” Indeed, it does, but as Ira Sachs is always fond of showing in his films, the specific way that life can happenoften goes against our expectations. And in that spirit, “The Man I Love” is yet another well-considered, truthful film from the master of measured human drama.
