Sam Smith says gay love story Holding the Man ‘changed his life’
By Will Stroude
Sam Smith has heaped praise on seminal gay love story Holding the Man, describing the upcoming movie adaptation of Timothy Conigrave’s best-selling memoir as the “most breathtaking thing I have ever seen.”
Sharing the poster for the film on Instagram, the chart-topping soul singer explained that as a gay man he can find it difficult to find films that he relates to, and encouraged his 4.5 million followers to support and spread the word about the Neil Armfield-directed movie.
Based on Australian activist and author Timothy Conigrave’s 1995 memoir of the same name, the film recounts the story of his life-long romance with his high school boyfriend John Caleo – a relationship that was tragically cut short after John succumbed to AIDs-related illness in the early ’90s.
Conigrave sadly passed away himself from the disease shortly before the book’s publication and never got to witness its best-selling success, or the subsequent 2006 stage adaptation.
Urging his fans to watch the eagerly-anticipated movie, which stars young Australian actors Ryan Corr and Craig Stott in the lead role, Smith explained that while he can’t relate to the “awfully sad ending” to Tim and John’s story, the book and film with perfectly captured “the confusing scary and amazing moments I had coming out and realising who I was”.
The 22 year-old wrote: “Holding The Man. I’m going to try to put this into a short paragraph. But I could talk about this all day. I can’t tell you all enough how much this book and film have meant to me over the past half a year.
“This project and piece of work is the most breathtaking thing I have ever seen. As a gay man, it’s very difficult sometimes to find films that I can properly and truly relate to. Although I can’t relate to the awfully sad ending to Tim and John’s story.
“The most powerful thing for me was how this book captured what it’s like to grow up gay and all those confusing scary and amazing moments I had coming out and realising who I was. And THIS FILM has captured that, and has captured Tim and Johns story so perfectly.
“PLEASE watch this film when you can. And please spread the word. I long for the day when there are way more films about gay relationships, straight relationships, bisexual and transgender relationships and life stories. But for now support THIS film. Because this book and film pretty much changed my life.
Holding the Man hits Australian cinemas on August 27. There’s no word on a UK release yet, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed this gay classic in the making finds its way to these shores ASAP.
Watch the trailer below:
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