Alive & Kicking

Medical science seems well on its way to turning the AIDS-haunted gay romance genre into a dated curiosity. But even if, as we all pray, the white smocks succeed in their mission, a handful of these movies will continue to have power and relevance due to strengths that transcend their overt, epidemiological themes. Alive and Kicking is one of them. Directed by Nancy Meckler (whose only other film was the kinky incest drama, Sister My Sister) from a screenplay by playwright Martin Sherman (Bent), Alive was shot in 1995, before protease inhibitor cocktails made the 10-year annuity a valid investment concept for people with AIDS. As a result, the story burns with an urgency that only the shadow of death can inspire. The protagonist is Tonio (Flemyng), a brilliant and driven English ballet dancer in the early stages of AIDS. The most talented survivor of a once world-class company ravaged by the disease, he's pushing hard to make his artistic mark before the troupe disbands or his illness drags him down. As both a performer and a friend, Tonio is a high-maintenance type who fully merits his “Psycho Bitch” T-shirt. His narcissistic quest for perfection leaves little room for love, or even warmth, for any but his lesbian pal Millie (Parish) and his dying mentor Ramon (Higgins, who delivers a performance of quietly affecting pathos). But on a rare night out in the clubs, he meets a cocky, barrel- chested older man (the brilliant and versatile Sher) who sets his cap for the gorgeous young dancer and, after a long pursuit, manages to bed him. What follows is a story, both sentimental and tough-minded, of romance between two wildly dissimilar people whose doubts about the bases of their love are overruled by their desperate need for it. Flemyng, one of those exquisitely sculpted English faces you associate with degenerate young nobles who inspired Romantic poets to churn out endless, purple odes, is a commanding presence as Tonio. Though essentially unlikable, he compels you to care about him because you're so inspired by his fearless, almost heroic passion for life. Sher equals his intensity with his portrayal of a world-weary character who, lacking art to conquer his pain, numbs it with alcohol and cynicism. Parish makes her scenes count as Tonio's long-suffering, understatedly wise friend, and Tutin creates subtle undertones of sadness in a basically cartoonish role as an Alzheimer's-afflicted choreographer. Because of its whimsical interludes and mostly superficial attention to the political implications of AIDS, Alive & Kicking almost begs to be sold short. But with its brave, straightforward emotional honesty, it sneaks up on you and delivers a wallop that may draw a tear or two from even those generally unmoved by “that kind of movie.”