At one point the plight that subservient bottoms go through is compared to jesus holding up the cross and honestly? That's what I call gay representation.
Cinemas
EN
Directed by Derek Jarman
The Angelic Conversation
An atmospheric, slow-burn drama.
Drama
1987
1h 18m
3.4(2.3k)via LetterboxdJudi Dench + 4 more
The Angelic Conversation is a lyrical, haunting film about a young man’s search for love in a dreamlike landscape. Its tone is set by the juxtaposition of slow moving homo-erotic images and opaque landscapes through which two men take a journey into their own desires. Offscreen, Dame Judi Dench recites a sequence of Shakespeare's sonnets that counterpoint the action. Jarman called it, “My most austere work, but also the closest to my heart.”
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Cast & crew
6What people say
Reminiscent of Jarman's music videos for The Smiths or The Pet Shop Boys; comparable to earlier work by the likes of Jean Genet or Kenneth Anger. Like being submerged into someone's private erotic fantasies. Like an incantation at an occult ceremony to resurrect the spirits of poetry, England, and Shakespeare. Symbols manifest themselves onscreen: orbs, torches, shells, sponges, flames, and naked flesh. Every now and then the voice of Judi Dench materializes amidst Coil's thick soundtrack, reciting the sonnets as if wringing nectar from a rag. The images are color-sapped, flickering, and they make The Angelic Conversation into an avant-pornographic reverie, a little dose of bliss.
Completely obscure and obtuse yet oddly intimate. This is on the far end of artsy, and is hard to engage with. However, there is still mesmeric beauty here and the sense of deep and personal meaning. An easy film to respect, a hard film to actually love, but the combination of yearning and passionate imagery with Judi Dench reading Shakespearean sonnets does resonate.The film is made up of two men meeting, a simple story made fantastical through filmic methods. This mythologises connection and interaction, it turns what could be everyday into something folkloric. Every strange cinematic gesture or flourish may not work for the viewer but certainly carries the weight of intent. This is so clearly personal and heartfelt that it is hard to take against it, even if it is truly difficult to engage with.
Common questions
What is The Angelic Conversation about?+
It is a dreamlike, non-narrative film that juxtaposes homoerotic imagery and landscapes with Shakespearean sonnets read by Judi Dench to explore themes of desire and love.
Who directed The Angelic Conversation?+
Derek Jarman directed the film in 1985, a prominent British filmmaker known for his experimental and queer cinema.
Is The Angelic Conversation experimental?+
Yes, the film is a noted work of experimental cinema, eschewing traditional narrative in favor of a poetic, mood-driven montage.
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