Alive and Kicking
(1997, released in the UK as Indian Summer)
Seen on 27 July 1997 with Tony for $8 at the Quad Cinema.
Indian summer can be defined as either an unexpected warm period in the early Fall, or the last stage of someone life "usually regarded as tranquil and serene." The latter is not quite true if you're dealing with AIDS and its fallout.
The movie opens with Tonio (Jason Flemyng), a dancer, literally jumping up and kicking a wall, and eventually falling flat on his back. This is an apt visual metaphor sets the tone. Tonio and his fellow dancers have spent a lot of time at the hospital, visiting loved ones and friends who have died there of AIDS. The other problem looming is Tonio's future visit to this hospital, as he is HIV+ himself. As he turns down his doctor's suggestion of AZT (film is set in 1995), "My lover died last year, and my best friend is sick right now, I haven't had time to worry about the third." (She doesn't get the quip.) He would rather throw himself into dancing.
After his teacher and best friend, Ramon (Anthony Higgins), dies, the head of troupe considers calling it quits, but not before performing one last piece, "Indian Summer," with Tonio as the lead. At Ramon's funeral, Tonio literally runs into Jack (Anthony Sher), who is HIV- and was Ramon's HIV counselor. They later meet at a disco where Tonio, surrounded by gorgeous flirtatious young men, and he runs into Jack again. He forgot meeting Jack, who is stocky and older; Tonio is pretty bitchy to him until Jack reminds him where they met. Then, he is very interested. The film then enters the "unlikely romance" phase.
An outpouring of HIV-related angst, and life angst, ensues. Will Jack be around when Tonio is dying? Would Tonio even consider being with Jack if he was not HIV+? Are they a couple? How come Tonio is so calm while Jack is drinking to forget all the trauma he gets to hear as an AIDS counselor in the age of defunding. The demented, aging choreographer, Luna (Dorothy Tutin), comments that she forgets, remembers, and then forgets what she remembered. She tells Tonio he'll be lucky not to suffer old age. Pondering one's mortality abounds.
A lot of breast beating goes on. Luckily, it is balanced with a lot of humor and a lot of heart. At one point the audience laughed so hard that two whole minutes of dialogue were drowned out. A full spectrum of gay-related issues is covered. A rather nice scene between Tonio and Duncan (Phillip Voss) shows how far gay liberation has come, allowing the younger generation to be themselves. In Duncan's day, he showed a "public life" by marrying Luna and pursued his true feelings surreptitiously.
Luckily, life is not all that difficult if you make the most of your opportunities. This is one of the reasons Jack pursues the "unlikely romance" with Tonio. He hears people complain of what they might have done, and he decides plunge ahead and be insecure later.
Alive and Kicking is thought-provoking and funny, with characters that ring true. It can even sustain two climaxes. It makes optimism look possible, and not just a serving suggestion. There is a lot of uncertainly at any age; you might as well enjoy yourself along the way in spite of it.
P.S.: Made by British television's Channel Four. Why are the better gay films coming from England? Why can't we do better than Kiss Me Guido?
More reviews by Seth Bookey are at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/2679/kino.html
Copyright (c) 1997 Seth J. Bookey, New York, NY 10021, sethbook@panix.com
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