Unfortunately, there is only one review on this film in IMDb, and the reviewer found it to be a piece of tripe. Well, every one is entitle to his opinion; it just so happens that my opinion is thoroughly the opposite.
I saw this piece on Broadway 20 years ago with Richard Gere in the lead, and was blown away. I almost was afraid to watch this film for fear that it could never live up to the play, but it does. You don't have to be gay to appreciate the psychological implications of this piece. Bent allows us to observe the human psyche under extreme pressure: like the prison experiments that took place (and got terribly out of control) in America. We see how strong the human will to live, even when it is horribly demeaned. We see that this will to live can drive us to acts that are beneath the diginity we would all like to have. We see, however, that love is the one emotion that can lead us to dignity even under the most extream situation. Love is the one emotion that can make us humans honorable. This is a subtle and moving film that extends all boundaries. Bravo!
I saw this piece on Broadway 20 years ago with Richard Gere in the lead, and was blown away. I almost was afraid to watch this film for fear that it could never live up to the play, but it does. You don't have to be gay to appreciate the psychological implications of this piece. Bent allows us to observe the human psyche under extreme pressure: like the prison experiments that took place (and got terribly out of control) in America. We see how strong the human will to live, even when it is horribly demeaned. We see that this will to live can drive us to acts that are beneath the diginity we would all like to have. We see, however, that love is the one emotion that can lead us to dignity even under the most extream situation. Love is the one emotion that can make us humans honorable. This is a subtle and moving film that extends all boundaries. Bravo!