Pride

           I’m really not sure how I came across Pride.  I don’t know if it was from the Milwaukee Film Festival catalog.  Or it could have been a recommended film on Netflix.  Maybe it was a preview in the front of another film.  As much as I like to know how I found something, in the end, does it really matter?  Probably not.  What matters is whether or not I think this is a good film.  I do.

                It’s 1984 and the miners of Great Britain are on strike.  They have been on strike for months, with no end in sight.  To help the cause, a man by the name of Mark Ashton (Ben Schnetzer) decides to form a group that will collect money for the miners.  The group is called Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners.  They are a group of gay men and a woman who figure out ways to collect money that will then be given to the miners, as they have been without pay for so long.

                While it seems giving the money they have collected away would be an easy thing to do, it is not.  No one amongst the mining groups wants to accept money from homosexuals.

                Finally, there is one group who does.  It starts with a garbled message, though.  The head of a mining group in Wales, Dai Donovan (Paddy Considine), did not understand who the money was coming from.  While surprised when he does find out, Dai still invites the LGSM members to Wales where their welcome is mixed.  Most of the women are happy to have the group in town, but the majority of men aren’t so sure.  With time, and some dancing, the men begin to come around.

                One woman certainly never does, though.  Maureen Berry (Lisa Palfrey) is so disgusted by the homosexuals that she calls a newspaper, hoping an article will stop their aid.  The exact opposite of what she wants happens.  Sort of.

                Instead of being deterred by the article, Mark arranges for a benefit concert.  The Women’s Support Group of the Welsh town and Dai have a great time at it, not suspecting the miners union at home has moved the meeting time to reject the LGSM’s help.  It is a great scene when the union man announces they will no longer accept the help of the LGSM and then Siân James (Jessica Gunning), one of the supporters of the LGSM, dumps the money the group collected on the table, showing the union what they are missing.

                It is at this point that Mark loses faith (mostly, I think, because of personal things going on in his life).  Hefina Headon (Imelda Staunton), a member of the WSG does not.  She decides to use the money from the concert to buy a van for the strikers.  Hefina then lets the men know that if they do not like where the money for the van came from, she will leave them behind.  With no one wanting to be left out, they all get into the van.

                Not long later, the strike is over, and it is time for the miners to return the favor.  To show their appreciation for what the LGSM did, busloads of miners come to London to march in the Gay Pride Parade.

                While much of the story is about helping the miners, there are also stories for the members of the LGSM.  They are battling for their own rights, which is a big part of the reason Mark started the LGSM in the first place.  To show support for another group fighting for rights.

                This film (based on a true story) is set in the early days of AIDS, at a time when so much about the disease was unknown.  Jonathan (Dominic West), a member of the LGSM, has HIV.  After hearing someone he had a relationship with is dying of AIDS, Mark worries he has the disease as well.

                The members must also deal with not being accepted for who they are.  Not just from the miners, but from their own families.  Joe (George MacKay) has been keeping his sexuality a secret from his family.  Eventually they do find out, and Joe must deal with their reaction.

                Gethin (Andrew Scott) decides to face his mother who he hasn’t seen in years because of his sexuality.  Then, sadly, he gets severely beaten in the street by a man because he is gay.

                So much is going on with everyone in this film, and yet somehow, they find a way to come together.  A lot of the reason for this is because of Siân and Hefina.  These two women do not let anyone get in the way of what they want to accomplish.  Between them, and the determination of the LGSM, they get things done.

                This film is a great reminder that different groups need to unite together to help get and preserve rights for everyone.  It’s what Mark stood for.  While fighting for gay rights, he saw it was only right for them to help fight for other people’s rights too. 

                It is a shame that even though the events of this film were over thirty years ago, that some of these rights are still being fought for.  Or people are fighting to keep them in place.  This is why people from all different groups need to come together in support until everyone is truly treated equally.