Well summed up

Directed by Kevin Dowling and Geoff Burton
Starring Jack Thompson and Russell Crowe
Reviewed by Tom Flanagan

Set in inner suburban Sydney, Jeff (Russell Crowe) is a lonely young gay guy. Harry (Jack Thomson), Jeff's dad, is straight. Harry hopes Jeff will find a nice guy and settle down and be happy. While this scenario may already sound far fetched, the storyline is entirely plausible.

The Sum of Us is primarily a film about love. Because the love dealt with is gay love and lesbian love, and because the film is anchored firmly in the real world, homophobia and heterosexism inevitably impinge on the story.

The film shows the pain and suffering caused by both the fear of homosexuality and the notion that heterosexual relationships are somehow more legitimate than homosexual relationships. The Sum of Us, however, doesn't allow these negative aspects to dominate.

In fact, the triumph of The Sum of Us is that the love and human warmth captured by the film shames homophobia and heterosexism to the margins.

This film deserves a wide audience and will undoubtedly have a positive political impact by challenging anti-gay and anti-lesbian attitudes with its uncompromising humanity.

This article was posted on the Green Left Weekly Home Page.
For further details regarding subscriptions and
correspondence please contact glw@greenleft.org.au

Tools

• Bookmark This Page
• Print This Page