Synopsis
Love is the ultimate kick
A passionately committed young dancer is forced to re-examine his career and life when faced with death, finding hope through an older man who becomes his lover, mentor and companion.
1996 ‘Indian Summer’ Directed by Nancy Meckler
A passionately committed young dancer is forced to re-examine his career and life when faced with death, finding hope through an older man who becomes his lover, mentor and companion.
Jason Flemyng Antony Sher Dorothy Tutin Anthony Higgins Bill Nighy Philip Voss Diane Parish Aiden Waters Natalie Roles Frederick Stuart Kenneth Tharp Michael Keegan-Dolan Ruth Lass Linda Bassett Hilary Reynolds Dickon Tolson David Ashton Annabel Leventon David Phelan Dugald Bruce Lockhart Ian Abbey John Baxter Jason Cheater Ellen Van Schuylenburch Marty Cruikshank Allan Corduner Richard Hope Martin Sherman Sakuntala Ramanee Show All…
Alive & Kicking - Jetzt erst recht!, La rage de vivre, Alive & Kicking, ცოცხალი და მომაკვდავი, De Bem Com a Vida
There was a time when the flaws in director Nancy Meckler's dramedy Alive and Kicking (also known as Indian Summer upon initial release in the UK) could be overlooked in favor of the story's social relevance, but nowadays it's more obviously a sweet yet slight film held aloft primarily by good performances. Jason Flemyng plays Tonio, a professional dancer who uses his HIV-positive status as a reason to avoid intimate relationships, especially seeing after his close friend and mentor Ramon (Anthony Higgins in another of his "ethnic" roles) pass away from the same disease; only after a new love interest, Jack (Antony Sher, a charming Bob Hoskins type), enters the picture does Tonio begin to rethink what matters the most…
A truly stunning and emotionally engaging film from playwright Martin Sherman and Sister, My Sister director Nancy Meckler, Indian Summer (also known in the US and on DVD as Alive and Kicking) tells the story of Tonio, a young gay dancer who is HIV Positive played with superb intensity, authenticity and humour by Jason Flemying. Believing his beautiful body - the tool of his trade - to have betrayed him with illness, Tonio pushes both it and himself to the limits for his art in the run up to his failing company's revival of the gay-themed ballet Indian Summer.
But at its heart the film is an honest depiction of a love affair between Tonio and Jack (Antony Sher, a…
Nancy Meckler’s moving drama. Jason Flemyng is a promising dancer but also HIV+. When his troupe’s founder and her successor also both fall ill, he must reassess his life.
The story concerns Torino (Jason Flemyng), a young, self-centred dancer whose world is dashed when his paramour Ramon (Anthony Higgins) perishes after a fight with AIDS.
At Ramon's funeral, Torino encounters Ramon's therapist, Jack (Antony Sher), a quiet, elder man who abruptly contrasts Torino's honest, colourful nature.
The two very dissimilar men form an improbable and close friendship as Torino declines to be cured for his HIV so that he can dance his best playing Ramon's role in an imminent dance production.
Jason Flemyng gives a good performance in his role…
"Excuse me, but weren't we married once?"
See previous review here.
Number 23 in my 52 Films by Women in 2021 challenge.
One of my 1000 recommended films.
This a film about dancers, about love, about hope, about AIDS.
Antony Sher and Jason Flemyng are perfect as the paunchy drinker and the bitchy dancer destined for a love match; the music is gorgeous and the film funny and moving in equal measure.
Deserved a lot more exposure than it got, but be warned, it isn't the kind of film to hold much back.
What can I say? It charmed me. Felt unsure at the start but I was moved by the end. Great performances all around. It's either a 3.5 or 4 but I think I'd watch it again so I went with 4. Now where can I get that Psycho Bitch t-shirt?
I think Jason Flemyng has played more LGBTQ characters than actual gay actors.