Milwood Movie Night

Come join us on Thursday, June 5 at 6pm for a screening of My Own Private Idaho (1991) to celebrate Pride Month!

This loose adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry IV stars Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix, who were both successful childhood stars setting out to break out of their manufactured teen heartthrob image and establish themselves as adult actors to be taken seriously in their craft. The two young actors took a risk by starring in this queer independent film directed by Gus Van Sant before actors like Tom Hanks in Philadelphia and later Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain starred as gay characters in more otherwise conventional dramatic Hollywood films that went on to be Academy Award nominated blockbusters that made over 100 million dollars at the box office.

In the story, also written by Van Sant, the two main hustlers are written with ambiguity and nuance gesturing towards a more fluid and uncategorizable queerness as they navigate loneliness, chosen family, and heartache, which may have appealed to a wide variety of outsiders living on the margins of society. Films like Philadelphia and Brokeback Mountain, both made by well-intentioned straight directors and reached more mainstream audiences, were of major cultural importance for the attention they brought to systemic and interpersonal homophobic violence. However, due to the traumatic and tragic nature of the content which queer viewers would be all too familiar with, these films have not been embraced as loudly by queer communities as films like My Own Private Idaho made by gay directors like Van Sant. The film is also a dramatic departure from the hypermasculine action films starring Stallone and Schwarzenegger, which dominated the 1980s. 

Reeves and Phoenix deliver sensitive and empathetic performances which always feel individualized rather than stereotypical and they channel their real-life close platonic friendship into authentic onscreen intimacy. Phoenix's performance in particular is astonishingly tender and vulnerable in the film, giving what some consider to be among the greatest cinematic performances of all time. Sadly, this was one of Phoenix's last performances before he died of an overdose in 1993 at the age of 23, and many lament the loss of this great talent well before the world could see the extent to his full potential.

Don't miss this special and completely unique queer cult classic at Milwood Branch!

Recommended for ages 18 and up