Last week I saw Pride, the new British film about gays and lesbians in London who pitched in to support the striking minors in Wales during the reign of the dreadful Margaret Thatcher—in spite of the deep cultural differences between the two groups. It’s a wonderful movie and I was deeply touched by it, enough that I went back again this week to see it a second time. Heck, I may even go a third time.
The story is real. I watched a documentary about the actual events in the 1980s and the movie is surprisingly close to what actually happened. Most of the characters are real (one major character is fictional) and the events happened pretty much as they are depicted in the movie.
The title resonates in several ways. Obviously, there is the gay pride movement in London—at a time when gays and lesbians were being discriminated against and lived in physical danger—just like what the striking minors were going through. So there’s also the pride of the Welsh minors in their struggle against the police and the attacks against them and the shameful attempt by the government to starve them into submission. The title can even be extended to Thatcher herself and her astonishing ego and total failure to empathize in any way with the minors. There is also the simple pride of coming out as reflected in the fictional gay character and his relationship with his family.
The movie is wonderfully filmed; the scenes in Wales are especially gorgeous, reflecting the harsh but beautiful landscape. All of the acting is top notch and totally believable. There are some truly memorable scenes: it’s almost worth the price of admission just to see Dominic West do his disco dance number! And the ending, even though ultimately the minors lost their battle, is deeply moving and hopeful. Bring a few hankies—not because it’s sad but because it’s so uplifting.
Please, go see this movie!
