This one's a beautiful, tender, quiet romantic drama with a moody atmosphere, set in a tight knit Welsh fishing community. It's a touching story about a man waking up sexually in the middle of his life, and how he, his family, and everyone around him deal with it, which makes it emotional and sentimental without ever getting over the top. The slow burn plays out against a landscape that's as bleak as it is gorgeous, where quiet, closed off men are stuck inside rigid ideas of what masculinity should be. Some people might be reminded of "God's Own Country," but I think both films are lovely in their own way. Jack is a middle aged guy who co-owns a mussel farm with his rough around the edges brother Dyfan, and the tension between the two of them is simmering under the surface right from the start. Dyfan's three sons all help out with the work, while Jack's sulky teenage son Tom keeps skipping out. Jack's been with his wife since they were both 16, and...
The film is told in just 2 years of 1912/13. Vaslav Nijinsky is a young, supremely talented baller dancer. He works for the Russian ballet company managed by Sergei, a controlling but loving man. Everyone knows that they are a couple but they keep the personal and professional lives separate. Of course Sergei sees talent in Nijinsky and encourages him to do better, even asking him to try choreographing some of the ballets. But Nijinsky is always a bit insecure of their relationship. They have continuous misunderstandings but their true love for each other keeps bringing them back together. It doesn't help that other people working in the company keep trying to turn one man against the other. Enter Romola, a very wealthy aristocrat, who takes a liking for Nijinsky and wants him at any cost. She learns ballet, and manages to join the dance troupe. In one of the trips when Sergei is busy with work, Nijinsky is told that Sergei stayed behind to look for another young ballet dancer and choreographer. By this point, Nijinsky has started to have mental breakdowns and in one such fit of anger, he spends a passionate night with Romola and also ends up marrying her. When Sergei hears this, he immediately summons Nijinsky that his contract will be terminated immediately. But true love can't stay apart for long. Nijinsky continues to long for Sergei and soon Romola realizes her mistake. She begs Sergei to take him back but he listens to his mind like a true businessman and doesn't even meet Nijinsky. Nijinsky ultimately loses his mental stability and spends rest of his life in mental institute till he dies.
To be honest, I was quite surprise to witness such a passionate gay love story. For some people, it may appear that old man Sergei was exploiting a young man's ambition or perhaps an ambitious Nijinsky was exploiting an older man's lust, but this in fact is a genuine love affair. At least thats what I felt after watching the film. Sadly, since this film was made such long time, the makers were probably not brave enough to exploit this completely. If this story was made in today's time, this would have been a gem. This setup feels very slow at certain points and there are a lot of ballet dance performances (which are necessary in the film premise), but they are just not my taste. Thankfully, film focuses on their love and passion for each other and how it affected both men. Actors playing the key roles were marvelous and very good. They felt real, as if they have completely immersed themselves. The sets were grand and you can see the hard work that went into creating this grandeur film. Overall I think this film deserves to be seen.
For a change, I will still recommend watching the film , especially for people who have patience, who love ballet and the history. Just because I wasn't able to connect with the film completely doesn't mean this film is bad. (5/10)
Comments