‘Love is Strange’ in Theaters August 22

Greg Vellante

With a less than a week to go before its limited theatrical release, Love is Strange currently holds an almost perfect rating, is fresh off nearly a year of festival buzz, and features two of Hollywood’s finest actors playing opposite one another in romantic harmony. With silver screen romances these days often being more of the same, Love is Strange aims to bring something new to the table.

The film follows an older gay couple, played by Alfred Molina and John Lithgow, who finally tie the knot after four decades together. The newlywed New York City-residents must soon face the struggles of the real estate market, and are forced to live with friends, apart from one another. As life and tensions get in the way of their relationship, they must carry the weight of these battles.

Love is Strange comes to us from director Ira Sachs, who co-wrote the movie with Mauricio Zacharias. The two collaborated on Sachs’ previous feature, Keep the Lights On, another drama centered on a gay relationship.

Ira Sachs, an openly gay man who lives in New York City, said of this personal movie: “It’s about love at the end of your life. There’s something imperfect and beautiful and I wanted to make a film about that. It’s a classic story of a couple facing a crisis and how they deal with it.”

Both Alfred Molina and John Lithgow have been receiving praise for their performances since the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Lithgow, whose performance has garnered Oscar buzz, said he was thrilled with the final product, particularly with his onscreen relationship with Alfred Molina. “[Alfred and I] both have the feeling that this is the best work we’ve ever done on film,” said Lithgow, adding, “It may be the best film we’ve ever made.”

Love is Strange opens in limited theaters on August 22.