1985

US, 2018, 85 minutes, Black and white.
Corey Michael Smith, Virginia Madsen, Michael Chiklis, Jamie Chung, Aidan Langford.
Directed by Yen Tan.

1985 was the year that Rock Hudson died, died from AIDS. With the death of such a movie celebrity and the revelation about his disease, the wider world, at least the English-speaking world who had seen his movies, began to speak about AIDS which had already caused the death of so many men in the United States in the first half of the 1980s.

There will be a variety of responses to this film. Those who remember the times, the feelings, the controversies, the condemnations, the scientific developments for a cure, apprehensiveness about contact with blood… will be taken back to the period, enabling them to remember, see what their attitudes and stances were, whether they have changed or not since. For some there will be nostalgia. For some there will be regrets. A regret about things that might have been different, more understanding, more compassionate.

For audiences for whom this story will be part of history, before their times, it is a good reminder of what those times were like and, again, the possibility of reflecting on attitudes towards AIDS, towards gay men, have changed over the decades.

For many, for those who remember and for those who don’t, this is quite an emotional film. It is small, film in a rather stark black and white, songs of the time, Christmas songs, religious songs. The setting is Christmas in Texas, the son of the family returning home to celebrate with his family. He is played by Corey Michael Smith. He is Adrian and he has a younger, much younger, brother (Aidan Langford), Andrew.

His working father, Michael Chiklis, meet him at the airport, one of those hard men from the past, explaining that his father disciplined him and made him the man he was, not a hugging type, who served in Vietnam and still has resentment towards the Vietnamese, has been traumatised but does not realise it. He is a strict evangelical Christian. And his wife, a housewife of the times, devoted to her husband, to bringing up the children, serving at the church. She is played by Virginia Madsen, caring for her children, revealing quietly that she had been thinking over political matters and had not voted for Reagan in 1984.

Audiences realise that Adrian is gay but has not revealed anything to his parents. And we realise very quickly that he has AIDS and seems terminal, that this is his last visit to his family.

This is very much a film of dialogue, significant conversations. There are surprises in the family’s responses to Adrian, Andrew resentful that he could not visit him in New York and was put off, but reconciling because of their bonds in music and Adrian affirming him. There are gentle conversations with his mother – and the audience suspecting finally that she knows the truth. One of the best sequences is the frank talk with his father, quite surprising. And then there is the past girlfriend, Carly (Jamie Chung) who resents being left behind, is now a successful stand-up comedian, clashes with Adrian because of his treatment and neglect, finally understands.

The writer-director was born in Malaysia but has been making films in the United States since 2002.

The question now is how much society, especially in the English-speaking world, has changed – or not.

1. The title? The significance of the year? In the United States, the re-election of President Reagan? Politics, evangelical Christianity? Attitudes towards sexuality? Homosexuality? The spread of AIDS?

2. The small film, the effect of the black-and-white photography, stark, not romanticising? The musical score, the range of songs in the 1980s, popular, Christmas songs, religious songs and hymns?

3. The 21st-century response to the spread of AIDS and its effect? The closeted men? Not coming out? The isolation of groups? Illness, support, terminal illnesses?

4. The small family in Texas? The father, his talk about his father and tough discipline, not hugging, discipline making him what he was? His service in Vietnam, hostile to the Vietnamese, war action, helping others? Traumatised, going back to Texas, his store, Andrew working in the store with him? His not understanding Andrew, considering him too soft, hand wrestling on the table? Adrian and his leaving home? His relationship with his wife, love, but hard? Welcoming Adrian home, the comment on the Christmas gifts and their expense, criticisms? Confiscating Andrew’s tapes? Going to church, singing the hymns?

5. The mother, her patience, love for her husband, support for him over the years, Vietnam? Religious, volunteering at church? Singing the hymns at the service? Welcoming Adrian, fussing over him? Her love for Andrew? Her husband and his snoring, her going to Adrian’s room? Confiding about her not voting for Reagan? Her talk with her son, expecting him to relate to Carly? Carly and her visit? Talking frankly with Adrian? The farewell at the airport, stoic? Her knowing the truth?

6. Adrian, coming for Christmas, age, experience, stories of his work on Madison Avenue? His father picking him up, the reunion at home, Andrew and his criticism, not being able to go to New York, Adrian making good, the gifts of the tapes? The bonds with Andrew? The audience realising his situation? Going out to phone New York? Meeting the sportsman from school and his apology? His credit card failing? Tension with his father, the father’s criticism? Love of his mother, talking with her, in the room? Her care for him when he was sick, the bath? Going out with Carly, her not realising the truth, angry with him, later coming to apologise, realising the truth, her promise to explain everything to Andrew? His leaving, seeing the family for the last time, the message for Andrew? Seeing him in New York, the club, with his friends, with his lover? The importance of Adrian’s grace before meals?

7. Andrew, his age, in the theatre group, success, his father’s not understanding him, criticising his diction? His being upset with Adrian, the reconciliation, talking about music, rebelling against their father’s Christianity? The audience wondering whether he was gay or not? Adrian’s final message intimating that he was in giving him support, providing people like himself?

8. The importance of the talk with his father, discovering his father had found out the truth and had kept it to himself? The possibility of bonding? That his mother was not to know?

9. Carly, friendship with Adrian since they were ten, her improv performance, the drink and talking, the past and their quarrel, his disappearance, her leaving phone messages? Her approach, Adrian’s resistance? Her upset? Later apologising, visiting the house, Adrian’s explanation, her sadness, telling him that she would explain things to Andrew?

10. The emotions, the memories of those times and the consequences?