Year of Release: 2014
Director: Matthew Warchus
Starring: Ben Schnetzer, Paddy Considine, George MacKay, Andrew Scott, Imelda Staunton, Bill Nighy, Dominic West, Joseph Gilgun, Jessica Gunning, Faye Marsay, Freddie Fox, Joshua Hill, Chris Overton, Jessie Cave, Menna Trussler, Nia Gwynne, Liz White, Kyle Rees, Johnny Gibbon, Laura Matthews, Russell Tovey, Matthew Flynn, Monica Dolan, Karina Fernandez
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon
Synopsis and Review:
Celebrated theater director Matthew Warchus directed "Pride" to great acclaim in 2014, following his feature directorial debut in 1999 with the little seen, "Simpatico" (which featured Jeff Bridges, Sharon Stone and Nick Nolte). The film, based on real events, takes place in England, in the mid 80s, during the miners strike. It focuses on a series of characters, initially introducing us to Joe, a closeted 20 year old, who goes to London for the first time to participate in the Gay Pride parade. While there he meets the activist Mark, but also Jonathan and his partner Gethin, who have a bookstore, and Steph, a lesbian activist. Mark is intent on fighting for gay rights, but feels gays should show solidarity to the plight of the miners. This gay group find themselves in the Welsh mining community of Onllwyn, where they start collaborating with them to raise funds and help the families within the community stay afloat while the strike lasts. Even though not everyone is onboard with the help of the gay group, and even tries to sabotage their endeavors, Mark and his team manage to set up a hugely successful benefit concert
to which most of the villagers show up, alongside many other attendees, generating quite a hefty load of money. As the strike comes to a closure, some personal news cause some people within the group to have meltdowns, but they manage to reconcile, just as the Pride Parade of 1985 is about to start.
Director Matthew Warchus and writer Stephen Beresford, manage to create with "Pride" a film that is both riveting, humane, humorous, and socially conscious. It tackles both the issues of the miners strike in the 80s, and the strides gay groups were trying to accomplish at the time, when AIDS was decimating and entire generation. It's a film that showcases characters as more than simple archetypes, aiming and deftly demonstrating how everyone can benefit from being compassionate, humane, and having the ability to look beyond their own realities. Even if some of the situations are handled somewhat simplistically, it's nonetheless a film that demonstrates the power of solidarity, of kindness trumping bigotry and discrimination. It's a film that manages to make a powerful statement without being preachy or populist. The entire cast is wonderful, with Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Ben Schnetzer, Andrew Scott, George MacKay, all creating wonderfully vivid performances. Worth watching.
Director Matthew Warchus and writer Stephen Beresford, manage to create with "Pride" a film that is both riveting, humane, humorous, and socially conscious. It tackles both the issues of the miners strike in the 80s, and the strides gay groups were trying to accomplish at the time, when AIDS was decimating and entire generation. It's a film that showcases characters as more than simple archetypes, aiming and deftly demonstrating how everyone can benefit from being compassionate, humane, and having the ability to look beyond their own realities. Even if some of the situations are handled somewhat simplistically, it's nonetheless a film that demonstrates the power of solidarity, of kindness trumping bigotry and discrimination. It's a film that manages to make a powerful statement without being preachy or populist. The entire cast is wonderful, with Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Ben Schnetzer, Andrew Scott, George MacKay, all creating wonderfully vivid performances. Worth watching.
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