'Pride' - Review

The year is 1984. The Thatcher government is in power, and the miners’ strike is in full swing. A group of Lesbian and Gay activists see that they share common ground with the oppressed miners and take it upon themselves to join the cause of a small mining town in Wales, despite fierce opposition and prejudice from within their own ranks and those of the miners respectively. This is the story of Pride, a comedy drama told primarily through the eyes of Joe (George MacKay), who joins LGSM (Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners) unbeknownst to his firmly right-wing parents.

The real key to Pride is the simply wonderful performances from everyone involved. The cast is star-studded and bursting with a selection of characters that always have enough screen-time to feel well-rounded without getting in the way of each other. While George MacKay as Joe may be the central character, through whom the audience is dealt the greatest emotion, the beating heart of the film is Bill Nighy as Cliff, leader of the Welsh miners. Indeed one of the more enduring highlights is a very simple scene between Nighy and Imelda Staunton, in which very little is spoken aloud but everything that needs to be said is poured into the frame.

The film wears its politics proudly on flags and banners probably visible from space, and while it may appear that the antagonists are painted as mean or cruel, sadly one cannot escape the fact that these are real people that really did say those things. The film is not itself condemning them deliberately: through their own lips and actions are they condemned.  Though it may be assumed that a leaning towards the left may help in one’s enjoyment, I’d argue that anyone with a beating heart and soul can find something or someone to root for, be it LGSM or the miners or (hopefully) both.

While the trailers and poster campaign may lead some to believe that the story may perhaps soft-pedal the darker elements, this is clearly not the case, because you will find yourself crying as well as laughing. There is no way that this story cannot be told by glossing over when things went wrong or when horrific blows are struck, and the film does its utmost to avoid painting everything with a saccharine sheen that presides over far too many contemporary comedies. While sumptuously shot, neither the frame or those within it are clean-cut or blessed with perfect make-up and physique at all times.

An essential selection of 80’s music featuring Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Bronski Beat, Dead or Alive and many others also elevates the soundtrack above the usual ‘some songs the director thought sounded good’ fare. It does everything to enhance the feel of the period (notably when the characters find themselves deep in the neon-veined London gay bars) and supercharge the feel-good powerhouse that burns at the centre of the film, hopefully leaving you with a beaming smile that threatens to split your face in half.

Pride is, quite simply, a joy to behold; a film that brings an important story to an entire generation who will know little to nothing about it, whilst shedding new light on the events for those that dismissed it the first time round. It is imbued with the spirit of love and freedom, asking the viewer to root for the side of good: it is the noblest form that cinema can take.

5 stars