Après Louie

I'm always on the look out for films that deal with the subject of AIDS - not only as a teacher of film, but someone who remembers how the island city of Key West was devastated - almost 20% of the population died of AIDS, and what Bailey House meant to New York in the 80s and 90s, and how the Republican Party who ruled the White House and the congress did nothing until the late great Elizabeth Taylor kicked Ronnie in the butt....but let's get back to the film - it's an important film - well acted - good solid cast - truthful in its portrayal of male gay life, a good script, and an interesting slow build up - this is not an action film folks so for those of you who are addicted to comic books on screen - wake up - film making is also an art - and this film is just that - it's art. Congratulations to everyone associated with the film. And sorry that so many of the main stream media types of reviewers were so ignorant and stunted. This film should be on the INTERNATIONAL AIDS DAY list of films to be screened all around the globe.

It's a slow movie but a real movie... You can actually think this could be your story... or life or... :)

It's realistic, and its like you are looking into somebody his life trough a window...

Sam (Alan Cumming) is a self-centred artist working on a video tribute to a friend long-dead of AIDS. Sam's homosexuality is very political: a veteran of the gay rights protests and anti-bigotry campaigns of decades ago, he embraces the self-imposed outsider, 'rage against the machine' status it affords him, as witnessed by his tirade against a gay couple who marry. But it's not all politics: one night he takes home a young man (Zachary Booth) he meets in a bar. Their relationship is the hook on which the film hangs a wider examination of Sam's life.

So far, so talky American gay movie. What saves the film is the acting. I agree with Samuel L Jackson - why hire a Briton to play an American - were all the American actors busy? But there is no doubt Cumming is good in this, eschewing the queenliness he sometimes uses and instead delivering a character who is a strong, opinionated, not-particularly-likable ordinary guy. As for Booth, while he has the looks of a vapid Valley boy, he turns in a natural, realistic performance as the younger man intrigued by the older man, but not blinkered to the latter's faults. Amongst the supporting roles, Everett Quinton has fun as the ageing, gently flamboyant queen who is the oldest of the circle of friends.

So full marks for the acting, but considerably fewer for originality.

This film tells the story of a passionate gay activist who spent years to fight for gay rights. He is stuck in the past, and finds himself clashing with the ideals and the way of life in the modern gay world that he has helped to shape.

"After Louie" perhaps is very personal to the director and the producers. It focuses on the activist who is still very much in the fighting mode,unable to enjoy the fruits of his labour. The story unfortunately is told in a very slow pace and in a rather uninteresting manner. The only scene that is poignant is the argument scene at the dinner gathering. Those five minutes are really the only minutes that stand out from the rest. I find myself wondering when the film is ending, and indeed why the film is not ending. The film feels very long, and drags on and on at the end. The film could have stopped right after the party started. We did not need to see the birthday cake, the bathroom scene and then the woman talking about not helping to clean up. There are a lot of redundant scenes, which may be important to the filmmakers but they do not add to the film unfortunately.

As a lot of movies of hiv has been made the majority leaves me depressed. After Loui for me is different : I really liked the story