Review of Pride (2014) by Dana F — 04 Jul 2017

This may well be the feel-goodiest of all feel-good movies.  This little-known gem of a film is about the incredibly implausible yet true story of how a tiny gay rights group in London allied with a blue-collar mining community in Wales to support the miners during a year-long strike.

  In 1984.  Think about that for a minute... in 1984, people didn't even realize Liberace was gay.  I had no idea these events had even occurred, and it's such an unlikely story that after the credits rolled, I spent some time reading up about it just to make sure it was actually true.

  But it is.  It's a truly remarkable and uplifting story and one that I am so glad they put on film.  In our tragedy-obsessed culture, it's such a relief to see a movie that focuses on how awesome people can be to each other, instead of the atrocities we commit against each other.

  In addition to being just a great story, it's well-told, well-acted all round, and really funny in parts (including some clever winks at the audience).  The film stays on point until the last 30 minutes, where it loses its focus and veers off into subplots, but I can't fault it too much for that.

  You can't really make a movie involving gay men in the '80s that doesn't even touch on the perils of being out-of-the-closet, or the huge impact that HIV/AIDS was having on the community at the time.

  But the clear message is how a small group of people can overcome adversity and make a huge impact on not just their community, but the world.  This film will warm the heart of even the most jaded of souls, and the ending moved me more than I care to admit.

  "Pride" is aptly named, as after watching it, I felt proud of all of those people, and proud to be a member of the human race for a change. .