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Love and Death on Long Island

Video review by Naomi Bannister

At first viewing this might not seem to be a love story, but the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced it is, albeit with a weird slant. This movie takes us into the unreal world of Giles De'Ath, a writer living in social isolation in London. John Hurt is engaging as the 60-something widower who accidentally goes into the wrong movie - "Hotpants College" - and is bewitched by the image of a young man on the screen. He develops an obsession with the actor, Ronnie Bostock, played by Jason Priestley. His crush takes on fantastic proportions, and as a result, he finds himself joining the world again, doing things like buying a VCR so that he can watch videos of his idol.
His obsession takes its toll, and Giles' agent suggests he takes a holiday. He does, to Chesterton, Long Island, where Ronnie lives. The writer/director has the courage to take his time as Giles tracks down Ronnie - not many films can have so little happening and have it seem so satisfying. Not many actors could carry it off either, but John Hurt does it with ease.
Giles inveigles his way into Ronnie's life, and we watch him blossom. It's funny and poignant at the same time. Despite the somewhat bizarre subject matter, there's nothing tacky or artificial about this film.
Giles is the focus of the story, and while his character could be seen to be creepy and perverted in another context, John Hurt's performance lets us like Giles.
This might all sound far too serious, but it is in fact a funny film, with a touch of irony. (It's a British film, not American). It's hard to know whether Jason Priestley is successfully playing the part of sit-com and teen movie actor, or if the rather wooden image we see is the extent of his abilities. It doesn't really matter. He's not in much of the film, and John Hurt is mesmerising.
This film is not for everyone - some people mind find it slow or even ridiculous. I loved it, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys good acting and a gently told story. If you were a fan of Beverley Hills 90210 and its star Jason Priestley, you probably shouldn't rent this film.

Love and Death on Long Island Video review by Naomi Bannister At first viewing this might not seem to be a love story, but the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced it is, albeit with a weird slant. This movie takes us into the unreal world of Giles De'Ath, a writer living in social isolation in London. John Hurt is engaging as the 60-something widower who accidentally goes into the wrong movie - "Hotpants College" - and is bewitched by the image of a young man on the screen. He develops an obsession with the actor, Ronnie Bostock, played by Jason Priestley. His crush takes on fantastic proportions, and as a result, he finds himself joining the world again, doing things like buying a VCR so that he can watch videos of his idol. His obsession takes its toll, and Giles' agent suggests he takes a holiday. He does, to Chesterton, Long Island, where Ronnie lives. The writer/director has the courage to take his time as Giles tracks down Ronnie - not many films can have so little happening and have it seem so satisfying. Not many actors could carry it off either, but John Hurt does it with ease. Giles inveigles his way into Ronnie's life, and we watch him blossom. It's funny and poignant at the same time. Despite the somewhat bizarre subject matter, there's nothing tacky or artificial about this film. Giles is the focus of the story, and while his character could be seen to be creepy and perverted in another context, John Hurt's performance lets us like Giles. This might all sound far too serious, but it is in fact a funny film, with a touch of irony. (It's a British film, not American). It's hard to know whether Jason Priestley is successfully playing the part of sit-com and teen movie actor, or if the rather wooden image we see is the extent of his abilities. It doesn't really matter. He's not in much of the film, and John Hurt is mesmerising. This film is not for everyone - some people mind find it slow or even ridiculous. I loved it, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys good acting and a gently told story. If you were a fan of Beverley Hills 90210 and its star Jason Priestley, you probably shouldn't rent this film.