1985, Yen Tan's searing drama, debuted at SXSW this year with the assistance of a production grant from the Austin Film Society. Now AFS is taking submissions for the 2018 grants, with extra opportunities to encourage diverse voices.

1985, Yen Tan’s searing drama, debuted at SXSW this year with the assistance of a production grant from the Austin Film Society. Now AFS is taking submissions for the 2018 grants, with extra opportunities to encourage diverse voices.

Like all good stories about death, 1985 is full of life. Dallas-based director Yen Tan’s latest feature film gracefully portrays one man’s struggle with coming out while simultaneously coming to terms with the AIDS crisis of the Eighties.

Set in Dallas over Christmas 1985, Adrian (played beautifully by Gotham‘s Cory Michael Smith), returns home after three years, intent on coming out to his religious parents (Virginia Madsen and Michael Chiklis) and younger brother. Most viewers will quickly connect the well-placed dots, but the words “gay” and “AIDS” are never said throughout the movie. Allusions to both, however, are delicately peppered throughout the film. Tan confirmed this was intentional. “It’s very real to that time – no one said those words.”

With that same intention applied throughout, 1985 (based off Tan’s SXSW 2016 short of the same name, and inspired by real-life stories shared with him during his first job helping terminally ill people sell their insurance policies) is a film of contradictions. Despite being set in the era of neon colors, 1985 is shot entirely in black and white, an effect that lends a timeless feel to the film. That’s because, in spite of the name, 1985 is not about the Eighties. “It’s ultimately a movie about people – how people connect or not connect with each other.” But, it’s also a statement on how the country handled the epidemic at the time: It was a “very black and white issue,” said Tan.

Yet, Tan’s most beautifully crafted contradiction is the story’s relationship with death. Like Dickens’ Ghost of Christmas Future, death feels like a character. Despite much foreboding, no one – not even the dog – dies. The effect, however, is a subtle mixing of sadness, acceptance, and a mundane celebration of life: cuddling your pet, listening to Madonna, watching a movie (that will become a gay cult classic) with your brother. It is not an easy movie to watch, but it is a beautiful, shockingly hopeful story about embracing one’s otherness.

1985

VISIONS

Friday, March 9, 6:30pm, Zach Theatre
Saturday, March 10, 6:30pm, AFS Cinema
Tuesday, March 13, 7:15pm, Rollins Theatre
Thursday, March 15, 9pm, Stateside

A Different Spirit of Christmas

A version of this article appeared in print on Mar 9, 2018 with the headline: A Different Spirit of Christmas

This article appears in March 9 • 2018.

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