After Louie is a film that will be polarizing for many people, and that’s okay. As of this writing it has been shown in two film festivals in the U.S., one of which I was fortunate enough to attend. Starring Alan Cumming (X-Men, freaking Spy Kids), this movie studies the contradictions of modern gay life and culture as Sam (Cumming) reminisces about his boyfriend who died of AIDS in the 1990’s.
The main thing that shines in After Louie is the acting. Throughout the movie and the various relationships within, we see believable bonds between the characters that we immediately can sympathize with. At times you can tell simply from facial expressions that these people are invested in each other, whether they be romantic partners or simply friends. Alan Cumming is given a lot of opportunities to show off how good he really is, which is refreshing, as oftentimes he is tasked with playing wacky, over the top roles. Cumming’s character is grounded, haunted by his past and the social stigmas that come with his sexuality. He’s not always a likable guy, but his friends always support him, even when he alienates himself from them. Most of the other actors I had never heard of, but they all impressed me, and hopefully they will start appearing in more films in the future.
After Louie manages to speak on several topics that I personally have never seen addressed in film. We see, through both words and actions, the contrasts between the older and newer generations of the homosexual community. We see young gays seemingly take for granted the privileges that the older generation fought so hard to obtain, and the film later debates whether or not this is okay for the younger generation to do. We see a character denounce a couple’s marriage, which, in this character’s perspective, is an offense to the gay community and promotes heteronormativity. These are moral quandaries that I have never even considered for a second, and it really opened my eyes up to a culture that I myself am not used to. This is After Louie’s biggest triumph. It’s able to educate uninformed viewers about gay history and culture, yet still be an intimate story that everyone can connect with.
From a technical aspect, this movie does nothing unique or particularly interesting. Aside from a few well-framed shots, the cinematography is mediocre, and very few scenes stand out in this aspect. The film’s editing is also serviceable, but does nothing that causes it to stand out. This is not a movie that focuses on technical aspects, however. After Louie is about the characters, and their interactions with each other. The script is incredibly well written, with liberal amounts of humor thrown in to keep things from getting too serious or dour. It could easily be adapted as a play by cutting down on the variety of locations. The plot is driven forward entirely by the well-delivered dialogue, and that’s all that this film needs.
As I said earlier, this film will divide people on the subject matter alone. But for those who are not bothered by homosexuality being the focus of a film (or those who can ignore their prejudices), After Louie is an excellent watch that will move people and educate them at the same time.
My rating doesn’t matter, but I’ll give it anyways, just because I can.
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