Last year, we were promised a banner season for LGBT cinema, with The Danish Girl, Stonewall and Freeheld all hitting the festival circuit, predicted to be awards contenders. But all three were boringly redundant, failing to capture anything resembling authenticity, relying on whitewashed or straight-washed narratives to appeal to the masses. This ambitious Australian drama, arriving with far less fanfare, effortlessly trumps them all by refusing to deny its gay identity. Based on a memoir by activist Timothy Conigrave, it’s the tale of a 70s schoolboy romance that blossoms into a relationship and is torn apart by the advent of HIV in the 80s. There’s genuine chemistry between the two leads – as well as sharp turns from a starry cast including Guy Pearce, Antony LaPaglia and Kerry Fox – and an unabashedly mainstream sensibility, transforming an intimate story into a grand romance.
