This year I live less than 10 minutes from both the local Vue and Odean, and although the 40 minute walk didn't put us off last year, my housemate and I are planning on using a fair few orange wednesdays in the coming year!
Today we went to see Pride, and apart from the embarrassing incident where my phone went off just as the film started, and one of the 6 other people in the cinema came and told me my phone screen was too bright (I literally had my phone out for a second to cancel the call!), I throughly enjoyed it.
It's quite a long film, but it's jam-packed with story line and we are thrown right into the midst of the plot from the start.
Pride follows a London lesbian and gay community as they raise funds to help support striking miners in a remote welsh village. Set during Thatchers reign, the script is beautifully constructed, always driving the story forward, but giving time to flesh out the personalities of several key characters in a film that does not have one obvious protagonist. It has an overarching witty tone, allowing time for real human moments and conversations, keeping the overall feel of a film dealing with heavy topics and incidents light and humorous.
The fabulous welsh accents and personalities really shine through, notably Sian James sense of injustice and unpretentious action to drive the movements forward, and the reliable and steady headed Dai whose unswerving resolve is key to the bringing together of a conflicted community. The cast bounce off each other wonderfully, with both Bill Nighy's closet gay character and Imelda Staunton's Hefina contributing to the sense of real camaraderie between the two groups of campaigners as they help fight each other's battles.
The film does depict the overcoming of stereotypical prejudices about gays and lesbians, but not in an overt way as this isn't the message of the film. The coming together of two communities through persistence, communication and empathy for another group of human beings who are also suffering from prejudice and maltreatment from others, is where the film wants to direct the audiences emotions.
Pride has a very different feel about it. It's unavoidably british, to be expected when considering its content, and it's because of, rather than in spite of, the gritty reality of the events depicted you come away feeling inspired, entertained and indeed educated about the determination and courage of a group of people from the past who were able to make a difference.
Shame the cinema was so empty... bottom line is that more people need to see this film.
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