Writer: Ira Sachs and Mauricio Zacharias
Director: Ira Sachs
A quietly poetic exploration of 80s New York, aspiration and the glamour of a talented artist, Ira Sachs and Mauricio Zacharias’ The Man I Love is a subtle examination of living with AIDS and the impact of the arts scene. Built around an enigmatic and charismatic performance from Rami Malik, this is a snapshot of a short period in the life of one community that prizes art and music and feeling above anything else. But it is also a story of care, of focused compassion and the men who look after each other, filling their time with colour when only darkness lay ahead.
Jimmy is always at the centre of attention, recently recovered from a serious illness, complications of his never articulated AIDS diagnosis, he is set to star in a local theatre production of a German film with a singer he admires. Living with long-term partner Dennis and frequently hosting his sister Brenda and her husband, Jimmy begins an affair with careless new neighbour Vincent who becomes obsessed with Jimmy, not worrying about who gets hurt in the process.
Sachs and Zacharias’ film is about a star who shines brightly before the light goes out, a tribute to any number of men of this period whose talent and personal impact were cut too short. The Man I Love looks largely at the shine and the first indications of decline and with Jimmy as its centre, this is about a community of friends and artists that whirl around him as they, along with lovers and family pass through his life, almost a kaleidoscope of enjoyed events from late night drinks and dinner in his flat with everyone he loves, anniversary parties for his parents, rehearsals for the job he loves and nights at sweaty clubs. It just experience and sensation all the time.
But it also feels like a memory as you’re watching it, a heightened reality full of saturated colours and cool 80s style mixed with a lot of 70s which Jimmy loved. It is romantic and lost at the same time, a feeling of this person who had such an impact on others without needing a detailed plot. Jimmy is just living for now and that’s where Vincent, in his naivety, wants to be. It’s the contrasts around Jimmy that makes this poignant, the looks and hints of bigger conversations that tell the audience this is just a temporary respite from all their pain and absence they are about to endure, and it hangs over Sachs’ film like a faded but still just tangible thought.
Anchored by a fascinating performance by Remi Malik as Jimmy, he is achingly cool and pulls the room towards him, yet he gives very little away. Jimmy never speaks about himself, his fears or worries – others do that for him – he just lives, trying to keep the party going and enjoying this second on its own terms. As his health shifts later in the film, his disorientation and withdrawal are moving, all the more so for not being laboured or signposted in the way a lesser performance might attempt.
Supported by Tom Sturridge as his long-suffering partner Dennis and Luther Ford as the selfish Vincent believing he is Jimmy’s chosen object, The Man I Love is filled with a wistful nostalgia for a time and community lost forever.
The Man I Love is screening at the BFI London Film Festival 2026 from 7-18 October.
