This movie is a pretty wild "what if" story about Abraham Lincoln being gay and having a secret thing with his legal assistant, Elmer Ellsworth. It’s all told through the eyes of Taffeta, who is a Black, plus-sized queer person working behind the scenes. Taffeta uses this old history story to try and make sense of their own life and all the crappy treatment they deal with in the modern gay scene. Honestly, the whole thing feels a lot like a stage play, and it just wasn't as interesting as I hoped it would be. The story follows Taffeta, a stage manager for a small theater putting on a show about Lincoln. Every day is a drag because the audience ignores them and the actors treat them like a maid. Things get really awkward when Taffeta walks in on one of the male leads hooking up with a guy Taffeta had just seen on a dating app. To make it worse, the actor playing Lincoln actually tries to sexually assault Taffeta later on. After fighting him off, Taffeta goes out onto the e...
So, I finally got to watch this movie a second time after trying it twice before and getting a bad dvd each time. It was still as beautiful , emotional and touching as I remembered it the last time, though When there is too much crying in the movie, the audience doesn't cry much. But still it choked you and took you back to the old days in India (Goa) when AIDS was just being discovered. The Kapoors have lived in Goa for a long time. Their son Nikhil is a swimming champion and also have a lovely daughter Anu. The entire family share a wonderful bond with each other. Anu soon gets engaged to Sam and Nikhil hangs out with his friend Nigel. Soon Nikhil is diagnosed with HIV. Entire town including his parents disown him. We are not told how he got it because it is not important. We are told Nigel and him are actually lovers. Nikhil is thrown out of the swimming team and soon arrested to be kept in isolation till further notice because of his status. They hire a lawyer to fight for the case and eventually after lot of hard work win. He has the freedom to live freely and lead a normal life, like any other person. Now, he has no parents, no job, and no life. Only support he has is of his beautiful caring sister Anu, Nigel his Boyfriend, and Sam his Brother In-law. By the time his parents accept him, it is already too late and Nikhil is already gone.
The film is about celebrating life. It doesn't focus on why and how Nikhil got AIDS. We can all relate to it in some way because one moment can sometimes change your life completely. Don't we all have a brother or a sister who can do anything for us just like Anu. Movie shows courage, strength, and weakness in all characters and is filled with beautiful moments. My favourite is the end when Nikhil's parents finally accept Nigel as their own. Sanjay Suri and Juhi Chawla as siblings are perfect. Their chemistry is great. Juhi Chwla ozes happiness and hope and courage in the entire screen she is present while Sanjay Suri plays the role of closet gay infected with HIV with elan. And Nigel, the man who ultimately is going to losse evrything was eually brilliant. His eyes spoke his pain.
Very emotional and touching. Must watch. (8.5/10)
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