Holding the Man (film)

Last updated

Holding the Man
Holding the Man, Australian release poster, 2015.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Neil Armfield
Screenplay by Tommy Murphy
Based on Holding the Man
by Timothy Conigrave
Produced byKylie Du Fresne
Starring
CinematographyGermain McMicking
Edited by Dany Cooper
Music by Alan John
Production
company
Distributed byTransmission Films
Release date
  • 27 August 2015 (2015-08-27)
Running time
128 minutes [1]
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Budget$170,000
Box office US$909,122 [2]

Holding the Man is a 2015 Australian romantic drama film adapted from Timothy Conigrave's 1995 memoir of the same name. It was directed by Neil Armfield and stars Ryan Corr and Craig Stott, with supporting performances from Guy Pearce, Anthony LaPaglia, Sarah Snook, Kerry Fox and Geoffrey Rush. The screenplay was written by Tommy Murphy who also adapted the memoir for the stage play.

Contents

Plot

In 1993, Timothy Conigrave (Ryan Corr) is in Lipari, Italy, and he calls his childhood friend Pepe Trevor (Sarah Snook) in a panic, asking her where his deceased partner John Caleo (Craig Stott) was sitting at a dinner party they had when they were teenagers. The time expires before Pepe can tell him. Later, a concierge at the hotel Tim is staying at passes on a message from Pepe to Tim.

In 1976, Tim and John are students at Xavier College in Melbourne, Australia. They have geography together. Tim falls in love with John, and invites him to the school play of Romeo and Juliet , where Tim is playing the role of Paris, but John doesn't make it. Tim invites John to a dinner party with Pepe and some of their friends from Drama class, and they pass a kiss around the table. Tim later asks John out and he accepts. Initially John isn't comfortable with doing anything sexual with Tim, who writes a letter to John apologising for reaching into his trousers while making out after school. The letter is intercepted by their Geography teacher who tells them all the staff already know about their relationship, and advises them to be careful. While on a study break, Tim and John are caught having sex by their school friends. They all later go streaking. When Tim returns home, his parents Dick (Guy Pearce) and Mary Gert (Kerry Fox) tell him John's father Bob (Anthony LaPaglia) found Tim's letter and threatens court action if Tim refuses to keep his distance. Tim angrily leaves and rides his bike to John's house, where he overhears Bob tell John that his mother Lois (Camilla Ah Kin) will make an appointment for his son to see a psychologist. Tim and John flee together.

In 1985, Tim interviews an HIV patient called Richard for a play he is writing. Later, Tim and John both go to the doctor for an HIV test. John is given a negative result, but Tim is given a positive result. Their doctor (Mitchell Butel) then reveals there was a filing mistake and both Tim and John are actually HIV positive.

In 1979, while Tim and John are students at Monash University, they are part of a gay Rights Activism Club. At John's house one day, John tells Tim "I want you inside me." Before they can officially consummate their relationship, John's family arrives and catches them trying to sneak out. John stands up to his father and the boys drive off and engage in a brief and humorous session of anal intercourse. Tim becomes flirtatious with other men he and John spend time with, and starts cheating on John when he doesn't support Tim's request that they try having sex with other people. Tim reveals to John he put his name down to audition for NIDA and asks that they have a trial separation while Tim is in Sydney. Tim returns to Melbourne and reveals he has been accepted. He moves to Sydney for NIDA and has his classes under the instruction of his teacher Barry (Geoffrey Rush), but they clash during a rehearsal for A Streetcar Named Desire . Meanwhile, Tim has sex with different boys from his class and goes to a gay sauna. During a performance of Private Lives , Tim sees John in the audience and stumbles on a line ("I want you back, John"). They reconcile and resume their relationship when John decides to move to Sydney.

In 1988, while in Melbourne for his sister's wedding, Tim is contacted by the Red Cross and is told that the blood that he donated in 1981 was pooled with blood from other donors, was given to a patient who has gone on to develop AIDS, and that he is the only donor to be contacted who tested positive to HIV. Despite his mother's warnings of ruining the wedding spirit, Tim tearfully expresses his grief at the fact that he infected John.

In 1991, John's condition gets worse and he is frequently in the hospital. Tim starts to notice his own condition is slowly deteriorating and collapses one day while looking after John in the hospital. He has a manic episode after a swelling in his brain occurs and a doctor recommends he be admitted. Bob visits them to discuss John's will and is upset that all of John's possessions will go to Tim when he dies. They negotiate and it is revealed that Bob has been telling people John has cancer, not AIDS. John is well enough to return home and he and Tim make love. They go home to Melbourne for Christmas and John collapses while decorating the Christmas Tree. John is re-admitted. While exchanging Christmas presents, John confesses to Tim he was close to death and it felt so easy to let go, which deeply upsets Tim.

On 26 January 1992, Father Woods (Paul Goddard) approaches Tim while at the hospital and tells him he will include Tim during the funeral and refer to him as John's friend so as to not further alienate John's family. Tim angrily tells him that they've been together for 15 years and that John is his husband. John dies shortly after and the funeral is held with students from Xavier College.

The film returns to the beginning, and Pepe phones Tim's hotel. We see the note from earlier says "John was beside you." While on his travels in Italy, Tim narrates the closing chapter of his memoir, which is his final letter to John. The film tells the audience Tim completed his memoir ( Holding the Man ) in October 1994 and succumbed to his AIDS ten days later aged 34.

In a post-credits bonus, an excerpt from an interview of the real Tim Conigrave shortly before he died plays while a picture of John and Tim as teenagers is shown.

Cast

Reception

The film received positive reviews, with particular praise for the chemistry between Craig Stott and Ryan Corr. The Guardian Australia praised their "memorable performances, both tender and strong, and it is their chemistry audiences will recall most vividly", [3] and The Conversation commended both actors, noting their "palpable" chemistry "which is imperative in order to convey the deep bond [Conigrave and Caleo] had". [4] On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an 81% 'fresh' approval rating and an average score of 6.9 out of 10 based on 22 reviews. [5]

The loss of a large number of gay men to AIDS in the ‘80s and ‘90s has been captured in several books, films and television series, notably Philadelphia and Angels in America. The tone and tenor of these works is somber, emphasising the courage shown by victims of the plague in the face of grievous physical and emotional harm. [6]

Accolades

AwardCategorySubjectResult
AACTA Awards
(5th)
Best Film Kylie Du FresneNominated
Best Direction Neil Armfield Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Tommy Murphy Nominated
Best Actor Ryan Corr Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Anthony LaPaglia Nominated
Best Editing Dany Cooper Nominated
ASE Award Best Editing in a Feature FilmWon
AFCA Awards Best FilmKylie Du FresneNominated
Best DirectorNeil ArmfieldNominated
Best ScreenplayTommy MurphyNominated
Best ActorRyan CorrWon
Best Supporting ActorAnthony LaPagliaNominated
ASSG Award Best SoundMark CornishNominated
Nicole LazarothNominated
Dan LustriNominated
AWGIE Award Best Writing in a Feature Film — AdaptedTommy MurphyWon
FCCA Awards Best FilmKylie Du FresneNominated
Best DirectorNeil ArmfieldNominated
Best Script/ScreenplayTommy MurphyWon
Best ActorRyan CorrNominated
Best Supporting ActorAnthony LaPagliaNominated
Best EditorDany CooperNominated
Best Production DesignJosephine FordWon
Melbourne International Film Festival People's Choice Award for Best Narrative FeatureNeil Armfield2nd place
SPA Award Best Feature Film ProductionKylie Du FresneWon

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan White</span> AIDS spokesperson and "poster boy" (1971–1990)

Ryan Wayne White was an American teenager from Kokomo, Indiana, who became a national poster child for HIV/AIDS in the United States after his school barred him from attending classes following a diagnosis of AIDS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guy Pearce</span> Australian actor (born 1967)

Guy Edward Pearce is an Australian actor. He started his career portraying Mike Young in the Australian television series Neighbours. Pearce received international attention for his breakout role in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) and subsequently took starring roles in Curtis Hanson's L.A. Confidential (1997), Christopher Nolan's Memento (2000) and Simon Wells's The Time Machine (2002). He is also known for his performances in the film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's The Road (2009), Kathryn Bigelow's war drama The Hurt Locker (2009) and Tom Hooper's historical drama The King's Speech (2010). He has appeared in TED 2023, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant (2017) as Peter Weyland, the Marvel action film Iron Man 3 (2013) as Aldrich Killian, and the historical biopic Mary Queen of Scots (2018) as William Cecil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrea Corr</span> Irish musician and songwriter

Andrea Jane Corr is an Irish singer, songwriter, musician and actress. Corr debuted in 1990 as the lead singer of the Celtic folk rock and pop rock group The Corrs along with her three elder siblings Caroline, Sharon and Jim. Aside from singing lead vocals, Corr plays the tin whistle, the mandolin, the ukulele and the piano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony LaPaglia</span> Australian actor (born 1959)

Anthony LaPaglia is an Australian actor. He has won three AACTA Awards, Best Actor in a Leading Role for Lantana (2001) and Balibo (2009), and Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Nitram (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Corr</span> Australian actor

Ryan Corr is an Australian actor. He is known for his roles in the Australian drama series Packed to the Rafters and Love Child along with film roles in Wolf Creek 2 (2013), The Water Diviner (2014), Holding the Man (2015) and Underbelly.

Penelope Trevor professionally known as Pepe Trevor, is an Australian actress, screenwriter, journalist and author and visual artist, who is perhaps best known for her role as young card sharp and trouble-maker, Lexie Patterson in Prisoner (1985–86).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Enright</span> Australian dramatist, playwright and theatre director

Nicholas Paul Enright AM was an Australian dramatist, playwright and theatre director.

David Berthold is an Australia theatre director.

<i>Holding the Man</i> 1995 autobiography by Timothy Conigrave

Holding the Man is a 1995 memoir by Australian writer, actor, and activist Timothy Conigrave. It tells of his 15-year love affair with John Caleo, which started when they met in the mid-1970s at Xavier College, an all-boys Jesuit Catholic school in Melbourne, and follows their relationship through the 90s when they both developed AIDS. The book, which won the 1995 Human Rights Award for Non-Fiction, has been adapted as a play, a docudrama, and in 2015 a film starring Ryan Corr, Craig Stott, Anthony La Paglia, Geoffrey Rush and Guy Pearce.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy Conigrave</span>

Tim Conigrave was an Australian actor, activist and author of the internationally acclaimed memoir, Holding the Man.

<i>Macbeth</i> (2006 film) 2006 film by Geoffrey Wright

Macbeth is a 2006 Australian adaptation of William Shakespeare's Macbeth. It was directed by Geoffrey Wright and features an ensemble cast led by Sam Worthington in the title role. Macbeth, filmed in Melbourne and Victoria, was released in Australia on 21 September 2006.

Craig Matthew Stott is an Australian actor, perhaps best known for his role as Josh Watkins in the ABC television drama East of Everything (2008–09), and as the co-lead character John Caleo in Neil Armfield's Holding the Man (2015).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Queer Archives</span> LGBT archive in Australia

The Australian Queer Archives (AQuA) is a community-based non-profit organisation committed to the collection, preservation and celebration of material reflecting the lives and experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex LGBTI Australians. It is located in Melbourne. The Archives was established as an initiative of the 4th National Homosexual Conference, Sydney, August 1978, drawing on the previous work of founding President Graham Carbery. Since its establishment the collection has grown to over 200,000 items, constituting the largest and most significant collection of material relating to LGBT Australians and the largest collection of LGBT material in Australia, and the most prominent research centre for gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans and intersex history in Australia.

<i>Not Suitable for Children</i> 2012 Australian film

Not Suitable for Children is a 2012 Australian romantic comedy film directed by Peter Templeman and written by Michael Lucas. It was released on 12 July 2012. It stars Ryan Kwanten, Sarah Snook, and Ryan Corr.

<i>Dallas Buyers Club</i> 2013 American biographical drama film

Dallas Buyers Club is a 2013 American biographical drama film written by Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack, and directed by Jean-Marc Vallée. The film tells the story of Ron Woodroof, a cowboy diagnosed with AIDS in the mid-1980s, a time when both the etiology and the treatment of HIV/AIDS are poorly understood and its sufferers subject to stigmatization. As part of an ongoing experimental AIDS treatment movement, Woodroof smuggles unapproved pharmaceutical drugs into Texas to treat his symptoms. Here, he distributes them to fellow people with AIDS by establishing the "Dallas Buyers Club", all the while facing opposition from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Two fictional supporting characters, Dr. Eve Saks, and Rayon, were composite roles created from interviews with transgender AIDS patients, activists, and doctors. Presidential biographer and PEN-USA winner Bill Minutaglio wrote the first magazine profile of the Dallas Buyers Club in 1992. The article, which featured interviews with Woodroof and also recreated his dramatic international exploits, attracted widespread attention from filmmakers and journalists.

Australians in Film (AiF) is a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization that serves the Australian community working in the film and television industry. It awards the annual Heath Ledger Scholarship to emerging Australian actors, as well as several other programs which help actors and filmmakers to develop their careers.

<i>Love Child</i> (TV series) Australian tv drama series (2014–2017)

Love Child is an Australian drama television series that follows the lives of staff and residents of the fictional Kings Cross Hospital and Stanton House in Sydney, starting in 1969 and continuing into the 1970s.

Tessa de Josselin is an Australian actress and voiceover artist. She left her job as an environmental planner to pursue a career in acting. Shortly after joining an acting agency, de Josselin appeared in an episode of Tricky Business and was cast as Samantha "Sam" Hazelton in children's drama In Your Dreams. In 2015, de Josselin appeared as Macy in Ready for This and Anna Conigrave in the feature film Holding the Man. From April 2015, de Josselin began starring in the long-running soap opera Home and Away as Billie Ashford. She departed the cast in 2016 and her last scenes aired in February 2017.

Holding the Man is a 2006 Australian play written by Tommy Murphy of Tim Conigrave's memoir of the same title. It is one of the most successful Australian plays of recent times and the winner of multiple awards. It premiered in Sydney, and then across Australia, as well as internationally–on London's West End and in Los Angeles.

String Quartet: An AIDS Activist's Memoir in Music, commonly abbreviated to AIDS Memoir Quartet, is a musical composition by composer Lyle Chan which premiered in 2014. The work has been exclusively performed by the Acacia Quartet.

References

  1. "Holding the Man (DCP)". Australian Classification Board. Archived from the original on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  2. "Australia Box Office for Holding the Man (2015)". The-Numbers.com. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  3. Buckmaster, Luke (15 June 2015). "Holding the Man review – memorable performances but a little wobbly". The Guardian Australia . Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  4. Richards, Stuart (10 August 2015). "Holding the Man, and bringing HIV/AIDS in Australia to a mainstream audience". The Conversation . Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  5. Holding the Man, Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  6. "Why I strongly recommend you watch Holding the Man". www.dailyo.in. Retrieved 7 June 2021.