GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

APRIL 21, 1995

Evenings Out

Gay son, straight dad, top honors

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Spint search for romance Wins Best Film at Cleveland festival

Jeff (Russell Crowe, left) and his dad Harry (Jack Thompson) are both searching for true love in The Sum of Us.

The 19th Cleveland International Film Festival came to a successful conclusion on Sunday, April 9, experiencing a 14 percent increase in patron attendance.

"This was definitely the most successful festival in our history, and paves the way for an exciting 20th anniversary celebration next year," said managing director Mary Elizabeth Wozniak.

Two lesbian-gay films were among this year's award winners. The Party Favor, directed by Lisa Udelson, received the award for Best Woman's Short Film, and The Sum of Us, an Australian film directed by Kevin Dowling and Geoff Burton, took home the coveted Roxanne T. Mueller Award for Best Film.

The Mueller award is decided by festival patrons who have the opportunity to vote on each film they see. The awards won by these two films are a testament to the overwhelming gay and lesbian presence at this year's event.

One of the most acclaimed international films of 1994, The Sum of Us presents a warm and comic look at the drama of life as it relates to the unique bond between a father and his son. Praised in its native Australia, The Sum of Us, in addition to the Best Film award recently received at the Cleveland

festival, is the winner of the 1994 Sydney Film Festival award for Best Film, three Film Critics Circle of Australia awards, and the 1994 Montreal Film Festival and Australian Film Institute awards for Best Screenplay.

In the search for Mr. Right, sometimes father does know best. Harry Mitchell has found truth in his mother's dictum on life: "The greatest explorers are those of the human heart." Now if only he could convince his young gay son Jeff to brave the journey toward true love. At the rate he's going, Harry thinks Jeff will never find Mr. Right.

Jeff eventually spots Greg, a handsome young gardener, at a local bar, and tries to muster up the courage to become his friend. When they finally do acknowledge their obvious sexual attraction to each other and set up a first date at Jeff's house, Dad proves to be a well-meaning nuisance. Harry's eager acceptance of Jeff's sexuality proves too much for Greg to bear, especially when he must remain closeted with his own parents. Much to Jeff's dismay, Greg leaves the house without a word about pursuing any kind of relationship.

The film effectively deals with the price of acceptance, when Harry's girlfriend Joyce ends their relationship upon finding out that he has a gay son. Through all the ups and

downs, Harry and Jeff discover the strength of their familial bond-and that loyalty, like acceptance, is truly an act of love.

At the center of the film are two of Australia's most esteemed stars, Jack Thompson and Russell Crowe.

In 1992, Russell Crowe shocked audiences around the world with his performance as a vicious skinhead racist in Romper Stomper, for which he received the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor. Crowe says he campaigned strongly for the role of Jeff from the moment he heard about it. "I fought for the role because I believed in the film," Crowe says. "It is important to help people understand that gay people are just like everyone else, with the same pain and need for love."

Best known for his award-winning performance in Breaker Morant (1979 Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Supporting Actor), Jack Thompson says he welcomed the opportunity to play a character like Harry Mitchell. Thompson describes his character as an average Australian who has simple ambitions but a great deal of love and understanding for his gay son. Thompson says, "Harry is a simple guy who is pretty happy with his life-if only he and his son could find companions."

Co-starring as Greg, the closeted gardener who falls for Jeff, is John Poison. Polson says he was drawn to The Sum of Us because he wanted to play a gay character that was not a stereotype. "Most of the gay people I know are just ordinary people who are attracted to the same sex and I believe that is one of the great strengths of this film-that it is about normal people."

Screenwriter David Stevens said, "I certainly have no wish to preach to the converted. What I want people to feel when they see the film is to have a damn good time. And perhaps come away feeling they know just a little bit more about the human experience. Most of all, I want them to hear the love song."

Adds director Kevin Dowling, "I hope the twist at the end of the story will be a reminder of the film's theme-that whether gay or straight, familial or romantic, love is love. Hot on the heels of its success at the Cleveland International Film Festival, The Sum of Us will be shown at the Cedar Lee Theatre, 2163 Lee Rd. in Cleveland Hts. beginning on April 28. In the Columbus area, the film will be coming soon to the Drexel Theatres.