The Lost Language of Cranes

Philip's father Owen (Brian Cox) leads a secret life, hiding his own homosexuality from Rose while spending his Sundays in porn cinemas. Owen has been crippled emotionally by years of deceit, and he is incapable of having an honest relationship with his wife, his son, or any of the men whom he meets. When he learns that Philip is gay an emotional dam breaks, years of self-loathing pour out, and he decides to tell the truth.

This powerful drama does a wonderful job of portraying a family undergoing catastrophic change. Philip and Owen find a kind of freedom when they unburden themselves, but in many ways Rose's dilemma is the key to this film. Philip's revelation helps her to understand that on some level she has known about her husband's homosexuality all along, and that keeping secrets is far more damaging than revealing them. Yet she is left feeling "like the punch line of some terrible joke" even as her husband and son are set free. The Lost Language of Cranes is a compelling examination of the consequences of honesty, both good and bad. --Simon Leake

Based on the notable novel by David Leavitt, CRANES offers the story of Philip (Angus Macfayden), an attractive young Englishman who has fallen in love with the wealthy and manipulative American Elliot (Corey Parker)--and on the basis of that love decides to inform his parents that he is gay. But Philip's announce precipitates a crisis that he cannot imagine: his own father Owen (Brian Cox) is homosexual, a secret he has concealed from wife Rose (Eileen Atkins) since their marriage. At the same time, Philip discovers the foundation of his love with Philip is considerably less stable than he thought, and suddenly all concerned in the story find their lives built on shifting sand.

The performances are what make the film work, and while Mcfayden and Cox have the showier roles (and are excellent in them), it is really actress Eileen Atkins who emerges as the powerhouse performer in the complex role of a woman who has deliberately lived in denial--and who must now respond to a double-whammy that undercuts the very foundation of her existence. Carefully controlled, Atkins delivers a flawless performance with incredible weight and realism.

The flaw in the film is the script, which tends toward a certain clinical, slightly artificial awkwardness from time to time, and although the film offers many interesting visual metaphors, it ties them so loosely to the overall story that it is often difficult to know to what these metaphors refer. Even so, THE LOST LANGUAGE OF CRANES offers a powerhouse punch in its message of the need for honesty lest one be trapped into a way of living that slowly and but inextricably destroys the opportunities of youth--and leaves one with the bitter realization that the effort of keeping the lie alive has left one with little more than the lie itself. Powerful stuff; recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer


The movie that cannoned me out.   September 27, 2004
S. A DUNN (Chehalis, WA United States)
14 out of 15 found this review helpful

I, like the Father in this picture, came out when approaching middle age. I also experienced the atomic wars as my carefully constructed "straight" life crumbled under my feet. This movie hit home to me and taught me that there is no turning back, and no hiding from the Self.

Ten years after seeing this film, I am proud and honored to be what I am, for now I am engaged to the One that I always wanted and needed, and he and I are living honest, authentic lives.


Well-acted tale of a family eroding from long-kept secrets   October 12, 2002
D. Movahedpour (CA United States)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

This film is based on David Leavitt's book of the same name, which takes place entirely in New York City. When the film version was made, with Leavitt's blessing, the scene is switched entirely to London. However, the core lesson of the film, about deep-seeded family secrets and how they erode the facade of a middle class family, stays in tact.

Brian Cox and Eileen Atkins, two of Britain's best character actors, are incredibly good as the parents, Owen and Rose Benjamin. Owen is an Academic, and Rose is a Book Editor. The irony of Rose being in a profession where she needs an eye for detail is not lost as it contrasts to her own life. She has somehow managed to overlook that her husband is a closeted homosexual. In their generation, if a man felt or knew he was gay, he married, procreated, and carried on with life in most cases. The Benjamin's marriage could be like most long-term marriages without passion. Rose has had her affairs, mainly for the physical love she is missing from her husband. Owen wants desperately to explore the side of his life he has been repressing, but, so far, spends a good amount of his free time roaming gay cinemas.

Adding to all of this is that their son, Phillip, a handsome book editor, very well-played by Angus MacFayden, is also gay. He is out to his friends, but not to his parents. He is madly in love with an American graphic artist, Elliott, played by Corey Parker. Phillip's belief that he has found the love of his life leads him to finally come out to his parents. But, he has no idea of the can of worms he has opened in the life and marriage of his parents. Rose would have been content to keep secrets indefinitely. However, Owen's son's admission opens the floodgates and propels Owen toward his new life.

The film is still fairly faithful to the book, which I also recommend very highly. The acting is top-notch, as often seems the case in British-made films. The story is engrossing in its brevity, and strong in its lessons of honesty, betrayal, and the ultimate destruction of long-held secrets.


A bit dark but good   November 3, 2001
Cambel (Washington, DC USA)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

A whole lifetime comes crashing down when the son in this story reveals he is gay. This prompts the father, living a lie for as long as he can remember to reveal his own homosexuality to his family. The wife, although made to look a bit badly in the film was the most sypathetic character to me in the movie. She feels like her entire life was a lie her husband made up to hide. A strong sub-plot with the son dating a bit of a player who just wants to drift off gives the movie a sense of unease. I definetly recomend this and then after you might want to watch "Broken Hearts Club" to cheer yourself up.


This is the most important movie of my life!   April 5, 1999
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

I sat on the floor of my suburban home watching this movie,40 years old, tears streaming down my cheeks. I could feel the pain the father in this film felt, the life his son had, that he himself had not lived. It was like a great hole in the middle of my being. This was all it took for me to come bursting out of my closet. My life was finally starting!