Our take
While many homophobic people like to think otherwise, there have been gay people all throughout history, some that have survived war and pandemics and persecution and even became widely renowned. Gods and Monsters is a more speculative than accurate biopic about Hollywood director James Whale, who was actually out during his career. That being said, it’s astounding how writer-director Bill Condon and lead Ian McKellen created such a bittersweet examination of the Lost Generation, not just of the loves that were lost but of the lives that could not be lived, the longing that could not be actualized. And the film takes a risky, but nuanced subversion in the way it examines the Hollywood system, subverting the roles Whale and Boone have placed on others and on themselves. It’s a daring portrayal of both homosexuality and of the film industry, one that’s emotionally poignant and ahead of its time.
What it won
Oscars
1 win · 2 noms
Golden Globes
1 win · 2 noms
BAFTA
1 nom
SAG Awards
2 noms
Spirit Awards
3 wins · 1 nom
Sundance
1 nom
WGA
1 nom
Nat. Board of Review
3 wins
NYFCC
1 nom
LAFCA
2 wins
The story
It's 1957, and James Whale's heyday as the director of "Frankenstein," "Bride of Frankenstein" and "The Invisible Man" is long behind him. Retired and a semi-recluse, he lives his days accompanied only by images from his past. When his dour housekeeper, Hannah, hires a handsome young gardener, the flamboyant director and simple yard man develop an unlikely friendship, which will change them forever.
Elsewhere
"Few films have made it seem so natural to be haunted."
— Anthony Lane
"An engrossing, unusual, imaginatively executed bit of psychological gamesmanship ..."
— Dennis Harvey
Fifteen years after his retirement, aged gay film director James Whale lives as a recluse, with his stroke bringing back forgotten memories of his childhood, the Great War, and his exclusion from the Hollywood studio system after the Hays Code. He finds himself a confidant and an unusual connection with his handsome young gardener and former Marine Clayton Boone.
I just love the way Gods and Monsters shifts in and out of reality and memories and recreations of Whale’s Frankenstein filmography. It’s not a subtle comparison of the way monsters in media reflect the anxieties, trauma, and discrimination one has gone through, but it’s certainly an effective one, and Condon makes it feel a bit similar to Whale’s own style.
This is the kind of biopic filmmakers should be making about filmmakers.
The details
Who picked it
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
