Erik Rothman (Thure Lindhardt, Adieu Paris) and Paul Lucy (Zachary Booth, TV’s Damages) are opposites in everything but the physical sense. One is a free-spirited Danish documentarian open about his sexuality, the other a constrained and closeted New York lawyer. A steamy anonymous chat on a phone sex line sparks a series of chemistry-fuelled interactions, but their pronounced differences – obvious and otherwise – ensure that the resulting relationship is far from idyllic. From 1998 to 2006, Keep the Lights On charts their erratic romance.
Filmmaker Ira Sachs (Married Life) candidly delves into his own history in bringing the tumultuous tale to the screen, basing the script on his past dalliances with literary agent Bill Clegg. Details are fictionalised, but the truth of their problems remains, as the feature’s central coupling tentatively navigates life’s ups and downs. The juxtaposition of the protagonists’ traits and temperaments seethes with the raw emotion of personal scars; the resonance of their arguments echoes with the truth of words once spoken in reality. Sachs’ experience evidently informs every aspect of the film, with the outcome the epitome of intimacy.
While Keep the Lights On unfolds in a linear fashion, the writer/director is careful with the feature’s structure. Rather than attempting to chronicle the entirety of Paul and Erik’s relationship, he catches up with his characters every few years. Each episode plays like a memory, with the film looking back at defining moments. In 1998, the men are happy in the throes of infatuation; in 2000, jealousy infiltrates as their dissimilarities show; in 2003, individual achievement begets shared misery; in 2006, reconciliation turns into an ultimatum.
Performances are paramount in the success of the story, none more so that Lindhardt’s simmering intensity. His ability to subvert expectations sees Erik evolve from volatility to stability; sadly, Booth is less convincing in conveying the opposite journey. Yet together, their dynamic sparks with the flaws and fragility of every fated romance. Lindhardt may carry his co-star, but the intensity and obsession of their connection is palpable.
The tender, thoughtful portrait of a complicated couple further demonstrates its sensitivity in its striking style, imbued with an elegance and expressiveness that – when combined with its subject matter – instantly recalls Andrew Haigh’s similarly-themed and superlative 2011 feature Weekend. That may be the better film, but Keep the Lights On’s endeavour to extend the concept beyond a few days still excels in depicting a mature and moving amalgam of lust, love and the lingering repercussions of both.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Keep the Lights On
Director: Ira Sachs
US, 2012, 101 min
Melbourne Queer Film Festival
www.mqff.com.au
14 – 24 March
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