“My two favorite feelings when leaving a movie are deeply disturbed or incredibly happy (and not just happy because it was a good movie, but genuinely joyful and moved by the story/characters). I can’t think of any examples right off the bat that hit both (they’re kinda polar opposites), but I did hit both between two movies within a week of each other. Gone Girl hit the disturbing button quite square on the nose. Pride left me really really happy.
Pride takes place in England during the miners strikes in the mid-80s. A group of LBGT kids, recognizing the similarities in their struggles, rally together to raise money for and support a small mining town. Prejudices have to be overcome on both sides, and both come to find a love and acceptance they never expected.
Yeah yeah yeah that sounds very sappy. And it was. But I didn’t care. Some of these kids had never felt that acceptance before, and it was beautiful to see. Each of the characters were sweet and unique, and I loved following each of them, seeing how various mining families basically adopted one of the gay kids. I texted a handful of my friends on the way out, encouraging them to see this if they had a chance. If you like feeling happy after a movie, you should check it out too!
Pride – \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/