Gus Van Sant’s 1991 film My Own Private Idaho, is now considered a queer classic and it was recently added to the national archive of the US Library of Congress.
This February there’s a rare chance to see the film on the big screen as The Revival House screens the 35mm print of the film.
There’ll be two screening of the film at the Como cinema that specialises on only playing the original 35mm prints of films. The first screening is at 2.45pm on Sunday 2nd February, and a second screening will be on Saturday 8th February at 8.00pm.
The film follows the journey of Mike (River Phoenix) and Scott (Keanu Reeves), two friends navigating life as street hustlers while searching for love and identity. With its striking visuals, haunting score, and thought-provoking narrative, this cinematic masterpiece explores themes of friendship, loneliness, and self-discovery.
When the movie was first released in 1991 its depictions of gay sex were declared to be scandalous, watching it today you’ll really struggle to understand what all the fuss was about.
What’s more memorable is the groundbreaking performance by River Phoenix, and the multi-layered storytelling that is in the film, it’s one that you can watch many times and find new meanings and different interpretations.
It’s considered a landmark film in the New Queer Cinema movement of the 1990s, a term first coined by film critic B. Ruby Rich.
The film followed on from Gus Van Sant’s breakout success with Drugstore Cowboy (1989), and he would go on to have greater success with To Die For (1995), Good Will Hunting (1997), Elephant (2003) and Milk (2008).
Tickets to the screenings are available from OzTix.
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