L'homme que j'aime

After seeing Brokeback Mountain, I've been adding to my film library more gay-themed films. Because I'm a collector, I've been buying films I haven't seen before.

Some of them are simply awful in their script, acting, and/or direction, but remain in my library because of the "piece of history" they represent. And once in a while, I hit upon a truly outstanding film that surpasses expectations in all these ways.

L'Homme Que J'Aime ("The Man I love") is one such hidden gem. The story is moving, the characters charming, the acting believable, and everything put together by a competent director.

Like Brokeback Mountain, the story involves an ostensibly straight man falling for another man, but this time, the object of his affection is an openly gay man. To Americans, that may seem to stretch the realm of possibility too far. I lived in France for a year, and the plot line seemed perfectly believable to me in the context of French culture. Note also that this film was made for French TV... which tells me that the story was considered "mainstream" enough to be broadcast in France.

This little gem of a movie is available on DVD, and I highly recommend it. In French, with optional English subtitles.

An unexpected delight. This is a touching and moving exploration of both coming out and the tragedy of love.

Delicate performances and a wonderful sense of humour permeate the story.

Even Marseilles seems as inviting as the arms of Martin.

Despite the underlying sense of oncoming tragedy it does not overwhelm the beauty of this simple modern gay love story.

Keep an eye out for the pink Mercedes Benz. It adds a little touch of the absurd to the mix!

A film to enjoy and savour many times!

First of all, the theatrical packaging for this movie totally misrepresents it as a romantic gay comedy. A third of the way into the film it turns into an AIDS tragedy. Nothing wrong with that, but it's not what I was expecting when I rented it.

The previous posters seem to think this movie is a comedy. I must have seen a different movie from them. I agree it's a good film, but I didn't find anything comic about it. I was crying throughout the last half hour or so.

Well, it's an interesting film and I think it's worth seeing. I just wonder why all gay movies have to be about AIDS.

That said, I think it's a good portrayal of a presumably straight man falling for a gay man and embracing gay sex. The actor playing Lucas does an excellent job as the confused straight boy who finds himself falling in love with Martin no matter how hard he tries to fight it.

I just wish someone would write a gay movie where nobody has AIDS.

Ken

L'Homme Que J'aime - The Man I Love

Sweet sad love story but not depressing

My Rating 7/10

I discovered : L'Homme que j'aime)while looking for another film it had been incorrectly titled on Vimeo so I think I was meant to be reminded of those sad days when we all lost our "Longtime Companions ." This is a beautiful love story produced for French television in 1997 and later released at the Cinema in 2001 as well as telling it a love story between two men which set in the early 1990's in when AIDS was still a death sentence and same sex marriage was only a dream . This movie highlights the Political ignorance and indifference that delayed treatment for men who were pleading for medical treatment and care had to take to the streets to demonstrate .

The movie introduces us to Martin (Marcial Di Fonzo Bo), a brash pool monitor and resident lifeguard Lucas (Jean-Michel Portal).

Martin becomes interested in the younger and attractive Lucas but Lucas has a live-in girlfriend, Lise (Mathilde Seigner). Lucas is initially resistant to Martin's courtship dance but there is obviously a spark of recognition and realisation of deeper feelings developing between the two men.

Lise starts to integrate Martin into Lucas and Lisa's social life. Lucas then begins to doubt his heterosexuality and starts falling for Martin. But Martin is declared HIV-positive, which forces Lucas to choose between the terminally ill man he starts to love and his first love Lise.

The motto "Live each day of your life as if it were your last" is the main theme of the film.

It's a very touching French movie and interesting to see a European view of this tragic era during the last World pandemic when Governments acted shamefully at a snails pace in funding medical solutions and care to the me and women who were suffering in stark contrast to our current Covid 19 World pandemic.

I Loved this movie. It was passionate, believable and just a beautiful film all the way around. One of those movies you don't just watch but you feel. Highly recommended for fans of foreign gay cinema! This director and all of the actors are superb!