Pride: Analysis

Pride is a 2014 Dramatic Comedy film directed by Matthew Warchus. It has biographical elements being based on the miners’ strike of 1984-85 and more specifically the LGSM’s support of that movement. The film is similar to other British films such as Billy Elliot (2000) and The Fully Monty (1997) and uses light humour to undercut the bleak and dark subject matter. It is seemingly an inherently British film device and is used to great effect to make the audience connect with the characters and empathise with their struggle yet not come away from the film feeling worse for it.

We watch the events unfold through the eyes of a young 20 year old boy who has not yet come out to his parents, the primary story arc however does not follow him closely and rather he is a device used to peer into the lives of Mark Ashton and the LGSM group. This allowed the director more creative freedom as he is dealing with real events and allowing us to view those events through the eyes of a fictional character lets him tackle numerous issues – although the LGSM group are gay, the focus is not on gay rights; using Joe’s character however allows us a story arc as to what it was to be a gay youth growing up in the 80s whilst still not being the main subject of the film.

The film often relies too heavily on the use of clichés as a narrative device, a lot of the plot points are rather predictable and I feel this would be a detriment to the overall narrative in a different film. The films story is not its strong point, it features limited exposition and we are rather thrust into the events without a proper introduction however where the film shines is its performance and strong characterisation, there are a number of notable performances and none that detract from the overall feature. They help relay their message of peace and solidarity through the nuances of their characters that aren’t as explicit in the overall narrative. There are several sub plots, that although are nonconsequential in the long run help to enrich the narrative. The film manages to cover more than one issue this way, whether it be the fear and misinformation of AIDs in the 1980s or the Miner’s issues themselves Warchus provides a good insight into these issues, even if the moment to moment detail is lacking.