 Starring: Scott Neal, Glenn Berry, Linda Henry, Meera Syal, Ben Daniels
Director: Hettie MacDonald
Year Of Release: 1996
Plot: Jamie and Ste are working class lads living on a rough housing estate in London. While Jamie is coming to terms with the fact he’s gay, Ste is more concerned with his abusive father. However when Ste ends up staying overnight with Jamie to escape his drunken dad, something more than friendship blossoms, which causes them both some confusion and a realisation of what their future may be. |
There are a lot of gay coming out movies out there. In fact if there was one theme that been done in queer cinema in about as many permutations as it’s possible to have, it’s coming out, from a Mormon realising that despite what his church teaches he likes men in Latter Days, to the rather darker coming out of a hard-nut youth, leading to kidnapping and rape in the recent UK movie, Shank.
The reason there are probably so many of them is that coming out is something all (openly) gay men share and which is one of the most profound moments in their lives. It’s such a life-altering experience that it’s unsurprising that it’s something gay writers and directors have wanted to revisit over and over again.
However the problem is that while each coming out is unique and profound for the individual, that doesn’t necessarily mean other people, particularly straight ones, will want to watch it. While it’s such a deeply life-altering experience that you’d presume anyone seeing someone come out on screen would immediately empathise with the character, the fact is that because it is so personal, unless you’ve got something new or interesting to add, a lot of the time it’s not that fascinating to watch.
It’s the odd thing then about Beautiful Thing, that it is an immensely simple tale, and yet it’s a very powerful, moving and uplifting movie. Two teenage boys come together, strike up something more than a friendship, are fearful of their parents’ reaction, have their first taste of the wider gay community and have to decide whether they want to keep their relationship a secret or be more public about it.
There’s not really a lot more to it than that, but I’d still class it as the best coming out movie I’ve ever seen (although bizarrely enough, if we included TV as well, I reckon Jack revealing he’s gay on Dawson’s Creek would give it a run for its money, while the 1998 UK movie Get Real is very good as well). The reason Beautiful Thing works so well is that while it may not add a lot of bells and whistles or a particular hook to its story of young people coming to terms with their sexuality, the film, adapted by gay writer Jonathan Harvey from his own play, is very honest.
The simplicity and honesty allows the film to explore its issues with poignancy, emotional depth and humour, and create characters it’s very easy to identify with. It’s a problem with a lot of gay movies that it’s very difficult to put yourself in the shoes of the characters, as they sometime tend to lean towards caricature, however Beautiful Thing’s leads are just average, everyday kids who are coming of age and learning about themselves.
It’s also very funny, while resisting the urge to be arch and camp, which is another thing that often bedevils queer films and can quickly become annoying if not handled well. In fact Beautiful Thing is rather deliberate about not making its main characters camp, instead emphasising their average-lad qualities by making the campest (and funniest) character in the movie Jamie and Ste’s straight, female neighbour, who has a foul mouth and an obsession with Mama Cass. It’s only when the teens go to a gay bar for the first time that they come up against some of the stereotypes of gay life (and while many may rile against gay stereotypes, anyone who’s been to a gay bar will know there’s a reason they exist).
Beautiful Thing also has a very simple, but uplifting message. It’s not about striking a blow for gay rights, but simply about learning to be true to yourself – whoever you are – and that everyone should care about one another, no matter what happens. And you can’t say fairer than that.
It may not be a film that’s ever going to have a gargantuan audience, but Beautiful Thing is a simple, sweet, poignant and moving tale, and for my money, the best coming out movie there is.
TIM ISAAC
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