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Albatross

By Golu
This is not atypical gay/queer film but has a strong subtext and hence I am going to review here. This is primarily a story about repressed sexuality and the impact of those trapped in the lie. It takes you on a journey through the past to the present using race and sex as the drivers for something everyone is now familiar with. The tone is haunting but the setting is very much theatre like with four son 4 primary characters are the dialogues between them. The characters seem mysterious, but sadly the film failed to hold my attention for too long and I found myself drowsing away.

The story takes place in 1959 New England. A biracial couple, the Millers, are invited to visit a psychiatrist and his wife, the Burkes, to help gain entrance to the social community around them. The Burkes are respected members of the community and its social structure, but this is not who they really are. Mr. Burke, a psychiatrist, is involved in homosexual relationship with one (or possibly more) of his 'patients' trying to relive an older romance when Mr Burke was young. A gay love story from past shown in flashbacks, haunts the aging Mr and Mrs Burke. A secondary theme involves the Millers’ struggles as a biracial couple, but its only significance is to highlight their role as outsiders. They have their usual issues but nothing concrete comes out of it. There are also hints of commentary on women expected to just stay at home. At one point, Mrs Burke shows the Miller wife her art while it feels like Dr Burke is trying to get into pants of the black guy. Then Ms Miller finds the doctor's young lover and hangs out with him and while everyone gets drunk and wasted. The ending is just weird.

Dr. Burke has regular relationships with men, constantly replaying the memories of the defining love story of his youth. Mrs. Burke had married him knowing the story but in her way she also wanted to appear “normal” in society. Why are they together then, is never really explained or detailed out. There is a hint of judging the interracial couple's racial status. Racism towards those in interracial relationships gets paralleled with same-sex couples dealing with homophobia. But the plot meanders from issue to issue, racism to homophobia to sexism to homophobia again to racism. Such issues are intersectional and the attempt to address them all is admirable. However, Albatross gets bogged down but all of these issues, making it difficult to tell what the film is truly about. In end, sexism and racism are brushed under the rug to focus on how homophobia ruins lives. I found myself pretty confused about the albatross at the beginning of the film and I tried my best to keep my attention but I lost interest in the plot during the last half. (3/10)
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