Another Country (1984) Movie Drinking Game
Down a Shot: each time Tommy thwarts off fascist/elitist/classist comments with an eye roll or a snarky comeback.
Down a Shot: each time Guy puts his thoughts into poetry.
Down a Shot: each time Tommy breaks into a lecture on Communism and displays an indignant attitude towards conforming to the rules.
By: Vidal D’costa (A Toast) –
The events of Another Country unfold in the 1930s at an English public school. Student Guy Bennett harbors dreams of becoming the next head prefect but is hindered by the age-old rules at the school where homosexuality is not only seen as unnatural and unfavorable, but also strictly prohibited. After a scandal erupts on campus, Guy not only becomes the target of homophobia and bullying, but also lives in fear of his dreams being snatched away by his vindictive rivals who attempt to weaponize his blossoming romance with a fellow student against him. His only confidante during this trying time is his outspoken Communist roommate Tommy Judd who may have to put his ideology on the line in order to rescue his friend from the fate that awaits him.
A Toast
The movie explores the topic of homosexuality and Guy coming to terms with his sexuality in a poignant and sensitive manner and also benefits from nuanced characterisation as well as polished performances from its lead pair Rupert Everett (who also starred in the stage adaptation of the same) and Colin Firth (in his feature film debut) as Guy and Tommy respectively. Proof of their star-making performances can be seen in scenes such as Guy breaking down as he is put on trial and harassed for his secret romance and later when he realizes that his only confidante Judd also has limited and outdated views on homosexuality despite his reputed anti-classist and anti-fascist stance.
The interactions between both Firth and Everett feel organic and the dialogues, too lend, much depth to the proceedings, be it Everett’s Guy delivering poetic lines as he wistfully observes his beloved James Harcourt (Cary Elwes) from afar despite Judd advising him to be discreet, or moments wherein he playfully attempts to seduce and flirt with the disapproving Judd himself.
Firth is also at his witty and snarky best here as the sharp tongued Tommy who is always ready with a comeback, accompanied by an eye roll whenever his fellow classmates question or mock him for his unorthodox opinions and for not conforming to the elitist beliefs held by the other students at the school. The movie also addresses how privileges are only designated for a certain strata but not afforded to others who are completely disregarded or are restricted from availing of the same.
Verdict
Another Country is definitely a compelling watch if you are interested in checking out movies in the ‘rebel against the system’ genre. It not only succeeds at stripping bare the dehumanising and problematic practices that were or still are followed and encouraged by elitist public schools behind closed doors, but also in sparking a discussion on the importance of doing away with such practices and mindsets in the modern era and instead adopting a more open-minded, progressive, and accepting mindset. Maybe the latter is indeed the key to a ‘just Earth’, as Judd puts it.
