All this stuff about not mentioning ‘gay’ or AIDS at the funeral.’ It’s like he’s trying to reclaim John, save him from the dirty poofter who corrupted him. ‘I believe things between you and the family are pretty tense at the moment, particularly with Bob.’ The funeral scene where Tim is referred to merely as a ‘friend’ of John, takes the heartbreak to a whole new level …įather Wood asked if we could have a word in the garden. Having to relive John being ravaged by HIV and watch Tim care for him and love him to that last harrowing, precious breath, while emotionally draining, is an experience unparalleled in beauty and love. Their performances are so brilliant, it makes the experience particularly brutal. The two lead actors, Ryan Corr and Craig Stott bring Timothy Conigrave and John Caleo back to life on the screen. ‘Does this mean we’re going out together?’ ‘You know this stupid game that Biscuit’s been playing? Today he said I have to drop you, and I don’t want to.’ Should I risk it? ‘I’m being serious.’ Maybe he doesn’t understand. ‘Hi Tim.’ We sat in silence for a moment.

‘Mrs Caleo, can I speak to John please?’ She asked who was calling. I felt contractually obliged to ring John. The director, Neil Armfield has produced a universal masterpiece with this movie and it will without doubt become a legacy piece of his successful career. Without doubt he was the right man for this project and we must be grateful for his unparalleled commitment to the story over the years. Tommy Murphy’s adaptation for the screen is simply marvellous, and builds on his previous work on the stage-play. We both read the book, saw the stage-play, and made the fatal mistake of entering the cinema without tissues, thinking we would be able to manage our emotions. The team involved had done an amazing screen adaptation. The movie is beautiful, tender, touching and … brutal. We saw the movie at the Palace Verona in Paddington on Sunday afternoon, but it took us a few days to recover from the experience enough to be able to write about it. My partner and I have been looking forward to seeing this quintessential Australian love story come alive on the big screen. The highly anticipated ‘ Holding the Man‘ arrived in cinemas last week.

Holding the man by timothy conigrave