Love and Human Remains

Quirky, brilliant, twisted, dark, inventive, unnerving. This is a wonderful film, extremely well acted and smoothly directed. Moody and atmospheric, death stalks this mixed assortment of oddball lovers, both inside and out. Yet it is not a bleak tale of destruction, but a story of redemption, survival, and finally love. A great job by everybody involved. Top marks!

Once again, I am amazed that Thomas Gibson did not come to the head of the pack earlier in his career. In this film, Gibson once again demonstrates his ability to grasp a character regardless of sexuality, social status or nationality. Gibson plays a very convincing gay male of the late 20th Century. Tender yet not effeminate, afraid of the basic tenets of love, Gibson's character touches a variety of emotions. Also worthy of praise is Cameron Bancroft's performance. His need to be the heterosexual conqueror as opposed to his best friend's "homosexual conquests" provides dynamics for the relationship that are in many ways unexpected. Bancroft and Gibson's chemistry is apparent from the first scene they appear in together. There are many "panels" in this quilt. From gay relationships to straight relationships; from heterosexual relationships to the exploration of lesbian love; this film travels across the broad spectrum of sexuality while having the story of a serial killer at its core. My only regret is that it took 6 years since its release before I discovered this movie! I look forward to seeing it again and highly recommend it to any fan of Bancroft, Gibson or Director Denys Arcand.

There is, as many reviews have observed, a strong dark streak to this movie. The director it most recalls to me is John Landis (yeah, go ahead and howl about what a peasant I am). Arcand has the gift of exploring frivolous things in a bleak, gray kind of way, then turning round and exploring the horrors of life with a lighthearted touch.

The cast is, without exception, above average. Thomas Gibson, as David, is outstanding as the moody and self-deceptive center around whom the rest of the characters revolve. He talks a good nihilist, but his actions reflect more love in his character than he is willing to acknowledge. Gibson was already a strong and subtle actor in 1993. It was difficult to look at him and see Greg Montgomery, let alone Agent Hotchner of Criminal Minds.

Perhaps not the best scene, but the one I enjoy most, my "rewind scene," is the section where Candy is expecting a visitor, and one uninvited person after another shows up at the door. As Candy's interpersonal environment swings further and further out of control, David just grows bouncier, perkier, and more enthusiastic, like a gaunt Gen-X "Tigger."

There is a serial killer loose in the city killing young women. Various young urbanites exist in this world looking for connections. David McMillan (Thomas Gibson) is a gay waiter tired of acting. His roommate Candy (Ruth Marshall) is a book reviewer who had a fling with him while he was still a 'trainee fag'. David has several friends. Benita (Mia Kirshner) is a dominatrix with psychic powers. Bernie is a creepy civil servant. Kane is a childlike busboy who drives a Porsche. Candy wonders if she should try lesbianism, and she gets hit on by an eager school teacher Jerri (Joanne Vannicola) at the gym. Then again she get hit on by bartender Robert (Rick Roberts).

Based on a play, this Denys Arcand movie has an interesting cast of characters each looking for love. There are explicit sexual subject matters, drugs, and the dark ugliness of the urban life. And always in the background, there is the mystery of the serial killer. It's a great mix of mundane, obscene, desperation, the ugly, and the dark. There are good performances from good actors.

This is a film that I always find myself coming back to every so often. Still, almost a decade since I first saw it, "Love and Human Remains" still has so much to say about men, women, relationships, sexuality and most compellingly in the film, how we as people relate to one another. Perfomances are absolutely incredible and totally convincing. Why I love this film so much is that it shows that, irrespective of one's own sexual orintation, we as people very much share the same experiences and that people shouldn't create 'walls' based on sexuality. We all experience this life. See this film.