Ira Sachs has been quietly cornering out a niche for himself in American indie filmmaking creating memorable character driven chamber pieces like Forty Shades of Blue (2005) and the semi-autobiographical Keep the Lights On (2012); but it is his latest film Love is Strange which he directed and co-wrote that feels like a career high point.
It stars John Lithgow as Ben, a retired painter, and Alfred Molina as George, a music teacher, who get married after being together 39 years, which leads George being fired from his job at a Catholic school. Forced to sell their New York co-op that they can no longer afford, they are temporarily homeless and must relay on the kindness of friends and relatives (Marisa Tomei is excellent as a reluctant family member and frustrated writer).
While struggling with the pain of separation, Ben and George also have to deal with the intergenerational tensions and erratic family dynamics of their new digs.
