Execution: 3/10 As we see George and Ben get married we as the audience are not given enough set up to know how exactly the two ARE together and how important their union us, so when they are separate it doesn't really matter. We are not "thinking about the other when watching George or Ben be alone" because there's no previous reference by which to do that at all. Once they're separate it's only 30 minutes away but we don't see enough of them looking for housing or anything else.Extra nonsense that could have been replaced with better conflict, George and Ben trying to be normal again with each other despite their situation, something other than stolen French literature and Kate complaining about being home all the time. Leave and do something elsewhere! I didn't know NY cops were so apt to party like frat boys every night. Why does Ben have a pension from an undisclosed source but not have SS or any type of insurance? Seems these old guys have making rookie mistakes they're too old to make.Romance: 3/10 They kiss four times and cuddle once and that's it. It's a good amount of affection but not enough to where I would call romantic. And the end is quite ridiculous and nowhere near the note it should have been. I've never seen a film that ends on the wrong people; people the narrative was NOT ABOUT!

It doesn't say in the title, but it's not "only" love that is depicted here. And while many issues would have been similar, we get treated to gay love and what that means to the people (friends, family & other relatives or people connected somehow) to our two main characters in this one.Lithgow and Molina also are elderly. It's not like they play something they are not and it's rich roles they get here. But everyone in the supporting cast is phenomenal too. Most of the things are understated, things are not always spoken or said in a dialog. The acting is so good, that looks are more than sufficient to tell us the story. And even when the dialog does not tell us the what the character is feeling exactly, we always know.Great script and great drama of married life in a big city. The question is, if you're interested in a story like that ... if you are, you'll love this movie. If not, don't bother watching

It's quite a long time since seeing a film so evidently intended for the thinking and a film so much of its age.While it might be easy to categorise this as a film about Gay Love, Marriage and the consequences, that would be a serious mistake as those themes are almost incidental, the important themes are much wider, the circularity of life and love, growing up, family and generations.What was interesting to me was what was NOT said or shown, like a good book you need to read between the lines.Finally a word about the score - sumptuous.Any lover of Chopin will feel the hair on the back of their necks, particularly at the final Berceuse with orchestral arrangement, which flows like the ripple of evening waves up and down a deserted beach - music at its most ...musical.

The tone of Ira Sachs's movie remains resolutely liberal, as it calls for a "live and let live" attitude in a society which, despite its apparent freedom, nonetheless discriminates against certain people.Long-time partners Ben Hull (John Lithgow), and George Garea (Alfred Molina) decide to marry after thirty-nine years of living together. The ceremony is a happy one, but immediately leads to trouble as George is dismissed from his post at a local Catholic school as a music teacher. Lacking sufficient funds to pay New York's ruinous taxes, the couple are forced out of their apartment after twenty years, and forced to live a nomadic existence. Ben moves in with his nephew Eliot (Darren Burrows) and family, while George shacks up with friendly next-door neighbor Ted (Cheyenne Jackson). The remainder of the film portrays the couple's struggle to survive under difficult, if not impossible circumstances.Stylistically speaking, LOVE IS STRANGE is an elegiac movie, full of long takes focusing on the protagonists' expressions as they realize the shortcomings of their new lives. The soundtrack with its plangent rendering of Chopin's piano music, reinforces the mood: in one sequence we see George giving a private lesson to one of his music students, and trying desperately to keep the tears back as he listens to her playing one of the Preludes. Sachs's camera remains focused on his face, with occasional cuts to the young girl playing, and through this strategy we understand just how affecting music can actually be.On the other hand Sachs celebrates the elderly couple's strength as they manage to overcome adversity and enjoy the pleasures of the moment, such as listening to a classical recital. The camera zooms in on them listening, and their hands slowly meet in a mutual celebration of physical as well as emotional pleasure. Another sequence, taking place in a diner at nighttime, shows the couple bidding farewell to one another; the camera shows them walking down the street together during a glorious sunset, their hands linked together; and subsequently cuts to an understated scene where they embrace. This is the last time we see Ben alive - from then on George has to live the life of a singleton in a newly-rented apartment.Molina and Lithgow give memorable performances - each gesture, or movement of the eyes signaling their longing for one another. The other real star of this film is Christos Voudouris's camera, which photographs some wonderful New York landscapes in late summer and autumn; the skyscrapers towering into cloudless skies; the tree- lined streets offering oases of calm from the bustle of the main avenues; and the tracking shots of iconic sites such as the Metropolitan Museum. From such moments we can understand precisely why George and Ben do not want to leave the center of the city, even though they have been offered temporary - and comfortable - accommodation in Poughkeepsie, two and a half hours' bus-ride away.LOVE IS STRANGE might be at heart a sentimental movie, but remains memorable nonetheless - not only for the quality of the performances, but also for Sachs's cleverly understated direction.