Parting Glances is a movie about gays that isn’t full of lame sterotypes. Michael (Richard Ganoung), is sharing the last forty eight hours before his longtime partner Robert leaves for work in Africa. It’s set in middle-class gay eighties New York at the outbreak of the AIDS crisis, when misinformation and rampant stereotyping were creating a mix of panic and denial. While Michael loves Robert, the spitting image of a Ken Doll, his heart really belongs to Nick (Steve Buscemi). His ex-boyfriend, a musician battling AIDS for whom he takes care of. In his major debut, Buscemi is the star of this film. His now infamous deep set eyes, sarcastic wit, and ability to quick change into a maudlin clown take him from a dying patient to a man you won’t want to live without. It’s touching how the subject matter is treated. First time writer and director Bill Sherwood never turns his gay characters into the high pitched, effeminate, drama queens that litter TV and films today. His dialogue is sharp and his characters are authentic. They are simply men, going through the motions of love, friendship, and loss. It’s tragic that Sherwood did not live to create another film as I’m sure the results would have been, well fabulous.
