Review of Behind the Candelabra (2013) by Bharat S — 16 Jun 2013

Being forcefully persuaded into seeing a film when you have no interest or knowledge of it is one thing; but to then be pleasantly surprised at your own delight and enjoyment of that very same film is certainly another. Behind the Candelabra follows the contextually tragic moments in the life of the musical entertainer Liberace, and unfortunately is likely to remain somewhat of a hidden treasure due to its limited release. The cinephiles that are fortunate enough to discover it beneath the grains of less humorous, less glamorous and less genuine cinematic offerings (which all still garner abundantly more popularity) will hopefully have discovered a truly refreshing gem of a drama film.

Behind the Candelabra is a HBO Films production that has been reserved to a US television release as well as a limited European exhibition, due to its thematic content being "too gay" as director Steven Soderbergh articulated. This devastating justification from the Hollywood studios for not picking up the film is as tragic as Liberace's own fear for the economic impact and public reputation that he believed he would see diminish if his personal life were to be known. Sadly, as the majority of fans probably never knew of Liberace's true personality, today's majority will not have the pleasure of witnessing this pure and remarkably emotional biographical film.

Despite the film itself being projected onscreen, Soderbergh's true intentions are for the emotion of the film to be directed and projected onto us: the audience. Behind the Candelabra is truly enjoyed and experienced as a collective group with every other cinemagoer in the room, though you yourself will forget there is another soul in the theatre due to the emotionally investing 118 minute feature in front of your eyes that takes you away from your own reality and places you in an interpretation of Liberace's.

Michael Douglas' magical performance as the once internationally renowned entertainer captivates your consciousness with his electric charm, fabulously worn costumes and overall tremendous acting ability. Douglas' performance however only constitutes 50% of the relationship that the film revolves around, and is irrelevant without Matt Damon's pivotal and magnificent portrayal of Liberace's other half, Scott Thornson. The relationship they share, IS the film. Without the two talents to confidently and charismatically carry Thornson and Liberace into the 21st century, the film would certainly fall apart and lack the sense of purity that the two actors manage to organically create as they collaborate. It is a great sadness to see the relationship stumble over avoidable hurdles, and conversely a thing of beauty to see the non-fictional characters high jump over obstacles to sustain their romance.

Other features of the film greatly supplement the focal relationship and characters to a quite notable degree. While Douglas and Damon certainly carry the film, Soderbergh piles other cinematic elements atop of the actors' hands which make for a visually and audibly delightful experience. The costumes, sets, locations and most emphatically the soundtrack are powerfully incorporated to give Soderbergh's film an enjoyable charm, and while only supplementary to the core relationship, they are distinctly memorable due to their grandeur through both sight and sound.

The only thing lacking in Behind the Candelabra is that there is nothing negative to criticise about the film. This is a rare feature of any motion picture, and it is the result of great filmmaking. Behind the Candelabra is consistently purposeful from one scene to the next. It is subtly humorous when appropriate, tragically emotional on cue and ultimately continuously engaging throughout. While it may not receive the attention it deserves, Behind the Candelabra remains amongst the best of the opening half of this year's film releases that I have seen, and particularly is the most genuine and purposeful.