Back when few mainstream films featured LGBTIQA+ characters—and it was even rarer for their stories to have happy endings—the arrival of the British film Beautiful Thing was a significant moment.
The film made its debut on this day at the 1996 London Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, after being rejected by the Berlin Film Festival. Later in the month, it also screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.
Adapted from Jonathan Harvey’s play of the same name, Beautiful Thing tells the story of London teenager Jamie, who is infatuated with his classmate Ste.
Ste lives with his drug‑taking brother and alcoholic father. When he is badly beaten by his father, Jamie’s mum insists he stay at their flat. There’s no extra bed, so he has to share with Jamie.
Set on a working‑class council estate in Thamesmead, this coming‑of‑age story was groundbreaking when it was first performed in 1993. In 1995 it was adapted into a film. It was initially planned as a TV movie, but it ended up being released in cinemas the following year and became a massive hit.
The film was directed by Hettie Macdonald, who went on to have a successful career in television and theatre, while writer Jonathan Harvey created several iconic television series, including Gimme Gimme Gimme and Beautiful People. He also collaborated with Pet Shop Boys on their musical Closer to Heaven.
The cast included Linda Henry, Ben Daniels, Scott Neal, Glen Berry and Tameka Empson.
