VOD film review: Who’s Gonna Love Me Now?
Review Overview
Balanced approach
7Heartfelt conversations
8Luke Channell | On 07, Apr 2017
Directors: Barak Heymann, Tomer Heymann
Certificate: 15
Watch Who’s Gonna Love Me Now? online in the UK: BFI Player / Curzon Home Cinema / Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (Buy/Rent) / TalkTalk TV / Vimeo / Google Play
Directed by documentarian brothers Barak and Tomer Heymann, Who’s Gonna Love Me Now? centres around Saar Maoz. Saar comes from a traditional, religious Israeli family and was thrown out of the local Kibbutz when he came out as gay. Consequently, Saar moved to London to find acceptance and found it within the affectionate, supportive community of the London Gay Men’s Chorus.
We meet Saar in his early 40s, after he’s been living in the UK for almost 20 years and after he has been diagnosed with HIV. He’s still in good health, but the lure of his homeland and his estranged family is stronger than ever. Who’s Gonna Love Me Now? charts Saar’s personal journey to reconnect with his conservative family after so many lost years.
In Saar, the Heymann brothers have found an affable, empathetic individual and they skilfully craft an affecting documentary around his important, highly-relevant story. But what makes the film stand out is its unbiased approach towards Saar’s family. It would have been easy to sketch Saar’s blinkered family in wholly negative terms, but the Heymann brothers also focus on the Maoz’s attempts to address their prejudices around homosexuality and HIV. Both Saar’s mother and father visit him in the UK and take the time to try and broaden their horizons and understand their son’s way of life.
At times, Saar’s patriotic, hard-nosed father seems to have been taken straight out of a bad sitcom, as he questions why Saar can’t simply call his choir the “men’s chorus”. While there are some laughs to be had at his narrow-minded outlook, Saar’s father is never defined by this; we see him make a conscious effort to question his culturally ingrained views.
The conversations between Saar and his family are disarmingly honest and genuine. As the family engage in dialogue about their feelings, there’s no sense that anyone is playing up to the camera. Everybody expresses themselves sincerely and Saar, in particular, is remarkably eloquent in challenging his family’s prejudices. The frank and open nature of these conversations result in many tender moments, including a moving admission of regret that Saar’s father’s letters never expressed any kind of loving sentiment. Itai Raziel’s sensitive cinematography further enhances the intimacy of these moments, while sporadic cutaways to uplifting songs, joyfully sung by the choir, give instances of welcome respite from the poignant drama.
Who’s Gonna Love Me Now? is a touching, nuanced and stirring exploration of family, identity and cultural conflicts. Most importantly, the film shows that through meaningful, empathetic dialogue, prejudices can be shifted.