Parting Glances (1986)

"Parting Glances" is the first gay-themed film I'd ever seen that did not present homosexuality as something to be ashamed of and apologized for - and it didn't have the characters pathetically pleading for tolerance. It did not present the lives of gay men as something exotic, strange or as the subject of some clinical study. It simply presents the characters on the screen as people, dealing with their lives, careers and relationships as best they could in the early, dark days of the AIDS pandemic. I suppose it would hard for me to describe to a younger viewer how much of a revelation this was to us in 1986.While it certainly lacks the rough, edgy quality of The New Queer Cinema works that followed a few short years later, it is their clear cultural and cinematic antecedent.Screening this film for the first time in over a decade last week, it hardly seems dated, where some of the movies that followed seem locked in a specific time and place.As much as things have changed in the 25 years since I'd dragged so many friends to the theater (about a dozen times) to see "Parting Glances," so much has stayed the same... except that I am still alive and so many of those friends have since perished.While I might be accused of seeing the film through a nostalgic haze, I am certain in my opinion that, in terms of gay cinema, "Parting Glances" represents a turning point as important as Welles' "Citizen Kane" or Godard's "Breathless." The difference, though, is that "Parting Glances" didn't just change gay cinema, it helped change how we see ourselves.

This movie was about the 24 hour period of the end of one relationship, the other guy, and the kid who wants to be the new guy. I loved Kathy Kinney's character and how she had stories behind her paintings. She seemed like the average joe, trying to make a living while having a little fun. The ending was not expected and made Steve Buscemi's character look like a guy with a lot of class. Casting was great and the acting was like I was watching a normal group of people dealing with AIDS. And guess what, none of the main characters die in the movie. I felt like I could just be watching in on a real life as opposed to some scripted reality show. I'll probably like this more after I've seen it a couple of times.

This is my absolute favorite movie of all time. Concerning the last 24 hours of a couple's relationship before one leaves for a job in Africa, Parting Glances offers a simple slice of life look at New Yorkers in the mid 80's. What makes it truly remarkable is its use of realism to convey the complexities of various relationships. Steve Buscemi claims this early work in his career is his best performance ever and I don't disagree. Kathy Kinney as the most realistic fag hag ever put on film (besides Mary Louise Parker in Longtime Companion) adds layers of meaning. The stairwell scene Buscemi and another actor ranks as my favorite individual scene in any movie as well when it shows the differences of age and experience between young and older gay men. The film seems simple upon first viewing but watch it again top fully catch all the nuances of character and situations. A classic!

"Parting Glances" owes much of its charm to Director BillSherwood's skill and pacing and organizing his unknowncast in pleasant, diverting vignettes. There's not much tothe basic situation--a 24 hour period focusing on a youngprofessional New York man when his significant other isplanning to leave the country for an extended period. A surprise party is thrown for the couple, some new friends are made, a mutual friend with a disease is involved in the proceedings, and various snapshots of Village life are presented in a lively collage. Some of the scenes come off better than others (a few dream and fantasy segments are less than successful) butgenerally interest is maintained by an attractive, talented young cast, which works in a lively manner. For a low budget, independent effort, Sherwood's film isquite pleasant.