alexisp@ihuxk.UUCP (06/15/83)
(this is playing at the Ogden6, if you're in the naperville, IL area) Lianna (for another review, see the past issue of Ms.) Like "Return of The Secaucus Seven", John Sayles wrote, directed, and produced Lianna. This is one of the most surprising things about the movie: it's hard to imagine that a man could direct a movie that is so sympathetic towards women in general, not just the main characters. And like his previous movie, Sayles has portrayed a variety of women and men, all of them interesting, real people that we can care about. even if you are not very interested in movies about gay men and women, this movie is still worth seeing because of the relationships between the kids and the parents, between best friends, colleagues...none of the characters are stereotyped; in fact, just when we're convinced that "daddy" is just a boor, we see him talking to his kids and showing a more tender side. Of course, the theme of the movie IS about the "coming out" of a lesbian, so reviews that try to minimize this are being overprotective. Lianna has always had some component that is homosexual, and through an affair with a teacher, finds that component to be dominant. In fact, maybe Sayles was TOO subtle in making the point that Lianna isn't a bored housewife experimenting, but instead a lesbian on a painful voyage of self-discovery. The movie was EXCELLENT in showing the day to day tensions that gay lovers suffer, such as not being able to be affectionate in public, even when the need to is overwhelming, or the tensions about possible repercussions at work if the affair comes to be discovered. Scenes in a gay bar and on the streets reinforce the message that gays are not very different from straights . Also important was the message about women and the economy; Lianna has supported her husband through school, like many other "graduate wives", and until she has to support herself, she finds nothing wrong with the fact that all her research for her husband, and all her volunteer work in a theater, is unpaid...once she hits the job market, she comes to realize some of the inequities...credit is hard to come by because all her accounts were joint accounts with her husband... By the way, the movie is NOT depressing; it is painful at times, but much joy comes through. there are love scenes that might shock you if you are strongly homophobic, but they are very tender love scenes. This review is long enough now, so i'll end it by giving Lianna 4 stars. Alexis Porras Bell Labs, Naperville, IL