Watch Remembering the Man

Remembering the Man is a heartfelt Australian documentary that explores the true story of Tim Conigrave and John Caleo, two men who fell in love during the 1970s and faced immense societal and personal challenges. The film is directed by Nickolas Bird and Eleanor Sharpe, and features interviews with friends and family members of the couple, as well as actors who portrayed them in the theatrical adaptation of Conigrave's memoir Holding the Man.

The documentary is structured around the life events of Tim and John, beginning with their high school romance and following them through their undergraduate years at Monash University in Melbourne. Tim is portrayed as a charismatic and outgoing individual who, despite feeling out of place in the conservative 1970s, is bold enough to openly embrace his sexuality. John, on the other hand, is initially more reserved and cautious, but eventually finds the courage to come out to his parents and family.

As the audience becomes invested in Tim and John's relationship and their struggles to stay together, the documentary shines a light on the societal and political climate of the time. Scenes showing the New South Wales Anti-Discrimination Act of 1977 illustrate that laws against homosexuality existed, and the couple's experience of being victims of homophobic bullying, particularly from other students and members of the football team, and later, their difficulty gaining acceptance from John's religious parents, highlight the challenges that faced the LGBTQ+ community in Australia in the past.

Throughout the documentary, archival footage and family photographs are interwoven with interviews, adding a personal touch and allowing the audience to develop a deeper understanding of the couple's lives. This combination of personal and historical perspectives ultimately gives the documentary a universal appeal, drawing both the LGBTQ+ and straight audiences into a poignant love story.

The documentary also explores the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, and how it affected Tim and John's relationship. The couple both contracted the virus, as was inevitable in the era before antiretroviral drugs became available. Scenes depicting the societal and medical responses to the epidemic are emotionally charged and harrowing, as viewers are made to confront the sobering reality of the ravaging sickness.

In its final act, Remembering the Man showcases the continuation of Tim and John's story after they passed away in the early 1990s. Footage and interviews reveal the legacy of their love story, culminating in the success of both Conigrave's memoir and the subsequent play and movie adaptation, all of which have helped to expand public consciousness around LGBTQ+ themes.

Overall, Remembering the Man is a powerful and evocative documentary that tells the story of a couple whose love had to overcome the challenges of societal prejudice and personal adversity. The film highlights the immense obstacles that were in place for the gay community in Australia during the 1970s and beyond, while also illustrating how the couple continued to love and advocate for their community in the face of the epidemic that threatened to destroy them. Through its use of personal interviews alongside archival footage, the documentary blends history and personal narrative in a way that is sure to captivate and inform audiences alike.

Remembering the Man is a 2016 history movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 23 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.7.