The year is 1985. AIDS had already started to rear its ugly head. It’s also the year that Adrian comes home for perhaps the last time.
1985 is a tear-your-heart-out film about one New Yorker’s journey back home to see his family at Christmas. Cory Michael Smith is just incredible as Adrian, a young man going back home to Texas after a three-year absence to see his father, mother and little brother. But it’s really not a festive time for him – for all the lies and deceits that Adrian tells his family – that his life in New York is just amazing, with a good job and great friends, all this couldn’t be further from the truth. Adrian’s friends back in NYC are all dying or dead – including his partner. Adrian has been to six funerals in that year alone, and he faces the grim fact that he is not immune to the disease that has slowly crept up on gay men like himself. With a doting mother who takes care of all his needs while he is at home (a graceful and saintly Virginia Madsen), a tough religious father who lives his life by the Bible (Michael Chiklis), and a soft younger brother who is into theatre (Aidan Langford), it’s up to Adrian to secretly say goodbye to everyone (including his best friend Carly, played by the wonderful Jamie Chung).
Directed and co-written by Yen Tan, 1985 is a small film that packs quite a punch. It’s one hour and 25 minutes that will hold your attention throughout, with gripping performances, and an equally stunning soundtrack, and will have you reaching for the tissue box many times. Reminiscent of Xavier Dolan’s It’s Only the End of the World (where a terminally ill writer (assumed sick with AIDS) returns home to tell his family he is dying), 1985 is a much much better film.
With a perfect cast, including Madsen who is just simply amazing, as well as Chung, 1985 is a great film in every sense of the word, and excellently captures that time in 1985 when President Ronald Regan had yet to utter the word ‘AIDS’ and when hundreds of young men were dying and there was no treatment available, nothing could be done for them. Tan, along with the cast and crew, in a film beautifully shot in black and white (by Hutch, who also co-wrote the film), has pulled off quite an achievement with this film. Every gay man under 50 really needs to watch this film to understand what gay men over 50 were dealing with in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Order this film now from our online shop and support THEGAYUK
US swimmer, Abrahm DeVine has come out as gay in an inspiring interview in Swimming World Magazine. Before coming out to his teammates, 22-year-old DeVine described his worry about how they would react on hearing the news. He said, “I’m a gay athlete. There aren’t too many of us, so when I came out to my college team, that was a really tough time for me.”
Panic At The Disco singer Brendon came out as pansexual. He said, “I just like good people, if your heart’s in the right place. I’m definitely attracted to men. It’s just people that I am attracted to. I guess this is me coming out as pansexual.”
Twenty-three-year-old Collin Martin came out as gay, wrapped in a pride flag. Amen to that. He becomes the second Stateside pro footballer to do so. Robbie Rogers was the first in 2013. He made the announcement via Twitter, writing “I am announcing for the first time publicly that I am an openly gay player in Major League Soccer, June is Pride month, and I am proud to be playing for Pride, and to be playing as an out gay man.”
The 23-year-old DJ and producer came out as bisexual in Feb 2018 saying, “Now I dream of finding the person I want to share my life with, man or woman.”
Many people interpreted song lyrics to Harry’s song “Medicine”. In the song, Harry sings: “…The boys and the girls are here, I mess around with them, and I’m okay with it. I’m coming down, I figured out I kinda like it, and when I sleep i’m gonna dream of how you tasted…”
He also appeared with a rainbow flag numerous times on his promotional tour.
This isn’t the first time Harry Styles has talked about his sexuality, however. A few years ago he told a reporter during an interview, that gender wasn’t an important factor for him when looking for a mate. He said that a sense of humour and being natural was key for him.
Despite this, Harry has not actually commented on his sexuality, but watch this space.
Jaden Smith confirmed that he was dating rap artist Tyler The Creator live on stage at a concert. Taking the microphone Jaden said, ‘I just wanna say Tyler, The Creator is the best friend in the world. And I love him so fing much, and I wanna tell you guys something, I wanna tell you, Tyler doesn’t wanna say, but Tyler is my mother fing boyfriend.’
Jake Atlas
Pro Wrestler Jake Atlas came out in Feb 2018 saying, “I am proud to fulfil my promise of coming out publicly about my sexuality to be a voice for those that struggle with this issue like I have for many, many years.”
Actor Jake Choi said that while he shot the TV series, Single Parents he identified as straight, he said “When I shot the movie I identified as straight – that’s how I was conditioned. Now, I identify as fluid.”
Twenty-seven-year-old actor Jake Borelli came out via Instagram the same night as his character on the show Grey’s Anatomy. Jake Borelli, took time on Thursday to write a heart-warming message on social media after his character, Dr Levi Schmitt, on the long-running TV drama, Grey’s Anatomy embarked on a same-sex love story. The actor wrote how he “craved” as a young person, storylines like the one his character is involved with and hoped that the character would bring hope to others.
Before the release of Love, Simon, Joey came out as gay. Speaking to US magazine, The Advocate the star said the film’s lead character, Simon, had an experience that was similar to his own.
He said that he came out to his friends and family when he was 18, saying that he thought that most of them “knew on some level”, but his mum always knew apparently. He revealed, “My mom knew. She laid hints for me everywhere.”
Kevin McHale
(C) BIGSTOCK
The Glee actor came out in 2018 on Twitter and is a brand new entry to this list. He has over 1.35 million followers on Twitter. Apart from Glee Kevin has also starred in the E4 panel show, Virtually Famous.
Kevin Laroy
http://gty.im/1052447514
Tattoo artist Kevin Laroy – also known as Babyface Killa came out to his father on the TV show Black Ink Crew. He said, “Whether you like it or not, I’m going to be me. The fact of the matter is… I am a gay black male.”
Boy Erased star Lucas Hedges has confirmed in a recent interview that he doesn’t identify as totally straight. But not Bisexual or Gay. Somewhere on the spectrum. The Boy Erased and Manchester By The Sea star was speaking in a Vulture interview when he sort of “came out” after revealing he had a crush on a boy at camp.
The Hobbit and Guardians of the Galaxy star Lee Pace came out in March this year saying, but was affronted by the question about his sexuality when asked by a journalist saying, “I’ve dated men, I’ve dated women,” he said. “I don’t know why anyone would care. I’m an actor and I play roles. To be honest, I don’t know what to say – I find your question intrusive.”
Matt Evers
Professional skater Matt Evers came out as gay in an interview with Attitude magazine. The 41-year-old star who is set to take part in the ITV show, Dancing On Ice, reveals that he was brought up in a very strict religious household, but decided to come out after being inspired by his uncle, who died of an AIDS-related illness over twenty years ago.
Michael shared that he was “sexually fluid”. Speaking to the Daily Beast about his new project, a play called Thom Pain, Dexter actor, Michael C Hall spoke about his own sexuality, saying that he thinks that sexuality is on a spectrum and that making out with a male actor night after night made him “lean” into being sexually fluid.
He told the website, “I think there’s a spectrum. I am on it … If there was a percentage, I would say I was not all the way heterosexual.”
Journalist Ronan came out as part of the LGBT community in 2018 saying, “Being a part of the LGBT community … which recognised that reporting I was doing early on and elevated it, and has been such a stalwart source of support through the sexual assault reporting I did involving survivors who felt equally invisible … that has been an incredible source of strength for me.”
“Gotham” star Cory Michael Smith has come out as gay as he talked about his role as Adrian in the touching film, “1985.” The coming out film is all about a young man with AIDS who heads home to Texas for the holidays, which might be his last because of the disease. (more…)
