There are a couple reasons to balk at the overwhelming critical acclaim that this film about two gay lovers dying of AIDS has received: although one of the men, Tom Joslin, was a professional filmmaker, there's a general disregard for technical quality throughout (sound levels vary, etc.), and the film is often shamelessly melodramatic and self-indulgent. Ultimately, however, none of this matters, since after the first half hour of Silverlake Life, we find ourselves inexorably drawn into the struggles of Joslin and Massi, who admirably live in love and hope and happiness in the face of almost unthinkable adversity. Edited by Peter Friedman, the video journal of Joslin (who died in 1990) and Massi (who died in 1991) intercuts footage from an earlier documentary made by Joslin with contemporary footage of the last year of Joslin's life. Problems with family members, adjusting herbal therapy formulas, trips to the emergency room, the exhausting demands of simple shopping--these are the day-to-day realities of the couple's life. While the men's strength and resilience are remarkable, they also feel anger, helplessness, and fear: all healthy reactions to an outrageous disease that modern medicine has yet to wound let alone slay. Silverlake Life is not always an easy film to watch, and the sight of Joslin's lifeless body will be very disturbing to many (of course, death is disturbing). Yet, what we bring away from Silverlake Life in the end is quite positive. Visited by lots of friends while being cared for by an unflagging companion, Tom Joslin goes into that good night with courage and serenity and love. We can only hope that when our time comes we will be as fortunate. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)
Silverlake Life: the View From Here
(1993) 99 min. $39.95. New Video Group. Color cover. Vol. 9, Issue 6
Silverlake Life: the View From Here
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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