NARROW ROOMS: TERENCE DAVIES TRILOGY
Terence Davies did not have a happy childhood, and his early adulthood was plagued by guilt and anguish over his homosexuality. But film became his outlet for self-expression, and in this trilogy of black-and-white short films, Davies brilliantly laid out the anguish of his bleak early years. In CHILDREN, Davies faces homophobic bullies at school and an abusive father at home. In MADONNA AND CHILD, the adult Davies spends his days visiting his aging mother, and his nights pursuing guilt-inducing sadomasochistic sex. DEATH AND TRANSFIGURATION allows Davies to imagine the circumstances of his twilight years and recall slightly fonder moments from his childhood. Though these brilliant films were underappreciated on their release, they announced Davies as a major talent who became one of the greatest gay filmmakers of all time. What better time could there be than the Christmas season to catch this unrelenting exploration of gay Catholic guilt and existential dread? "The trilogy did the rounds of the international festival circuits and was often seen – in the States in particular – as an unnecessarily pessimistic piece, receiving limited arthouse distribution as a result. In a 'glad to be gay' climate, the insecurity, guilt and downright loneliness so astutely expressed in these films was an unfashionable stance. Because Terence dared to show the pain of growing up Catholic and homosexual in working-class Liverpool in the '50s and early '60s, the films were not celebrated enough. Terence once told me that when he recognized his homosexuality he knelt in prayer for so long that his knees bled – this pain is conveyed in the spirit of his films." –Jennifer Howarth, SIGHT AND SOUND, 1994 CHILDREN (1976, 43 min, 16mm-to-DCP) MADONNA AND CHILD (1980, 30 min, 16mm-to-DCP) DEATH AND TRANSFIGURATION (1983, 23 min, 16mm-to-DCP)