The Language of Love

by Charles Green

This is an amazingly simple, yet powerful film.  In nine and a half minutes, one actor, in a monologue, reveals his love for his best friend, and all the conflicted feelings that comes with it.  As part of a French language exam in an Australian school, Charlie has to write a letter to his best friend, in French of course.  After some jokes about language, including one on how the verb baiser can mean two related but very different things (which can get you in trouble if you confuse the two), he starts talking about his friend Sam.  It should be stated that Sam is a boy.  Seated right in front of Charlie at every class, he has an extremely close relationship with Charlie, telling him everything, including his parents’ ugly, painful divorce.  The pain Charlie feels for Sam having to go through this experience is obvious on the young man’s face; this is a sensitive, thoughtful boy.  So when he suddenly blurts out, “I’m in love with Sam”, it seems perfectly natural, and yet of course, so many people would say it’s not.  Now he has to decide whether to tell his best friend or keep his feelings bottled inside.  His decision at the end is wonderful, and makes a great answer for his exam.

Charlie is incredibly articulate, probably more so than most young people, but using just his words he manages to connect us to him on a powerful emotional level.  He offers some insightful moments, such as wondering if he’s being selfish in holding back this secret.  After all, Sam doesn’t keep anything from him, so why shouldn’t he do the same? We laugh with him when he remembers how he became assistant librarian: because he didn’t swipe the sex ed books, which leads to a funny riff on gonorrhea and King Lear.  We cry when he worries about Sam’s possible reaction; will his best friend think he’s a freak?  We wince when he remembers the taunts his classmates make when, during a trip to the beach, he offers to put sunscreen on Sam’s back: “Charlie’s a poofter.”  It’s language in spoken form that allows him to connect with the audience, just as it’s language in written form that allows him to (hopefully) connect with Sam.  It’s a brilliant play on the title.

The film focuses almost entirely on Charlie, with a few glimpses of Sam, making for a tight character study.  At first it was difficult to know whether Charlie’s speech represents what he’s writing for his exam, or if it’s what he’s thinking while trying to answer, but that becomes clear fairly soon.  In any event, it’s a minor quibble, especially considering how much the film accomplishes in such a short time.  Incredibly moving, well-crafted and acted, The Language of Love is definitely worth seeing, regardless of how you feel about homosexuality.  In any language, love is universal.

Charles Green is a freelance writer and editor based in Annapolis.  His book reviews appear in several publications, including Publishers Weekly.