Ancestors

David Turpin’s (writer of The Lodgers, TIFF ’17) debut feature is a mesmerizing journey through a dreamlike 1980s London. Evoking the tactile beauty of old photographs, Turpin — who also wrote the screenplay — conjures a city at a time that forever altered the lives of gay men.

An Irishman abroad at a time when homosexuality was still illegal in his homeland, Beau (Éanna Hardwicke) spends his days working in a neighbourhood café and his nights with his loyal confidante, Shell (Jessica Reynolds). When the enigmatic Tiny (Jack Wolfe) enters Beau’s life, an unlikely bond forms — until Tiny suddenly disappears. Beau embarks on a search that reveals not simply what has been lost, but the unseen threads of love, friendship, and care that bind one generation to the next. Along the way, visions of the enigmatic Gloria (Christina Hendricks) draw him ever deeper into a world where memory and longing become impossible to separate, while the lived experience of the unforgettable Maurice (gay screen icon Rupert Everett, My Policeman, TIFF ’22) embodies the resilience of a generation.

Turpin has crafted a rare film. Heartbreaking without ever surrendering to despair, Ancestors is less a chronicle of the AIDS crisis than a contemplation of the haunting legacy it left behind. He lovingly recreates a distinctly gay world, from late-night cruising to the rituals of chosen family to the playful cadences of Polari (a secret slang used to communicate discreetly). It is a deeply felt tribute from a younger gay generation to those who were there, honouring not only those lost, but those who loved, cared for, and carried each other forward.

JASON RYLE