Any Day Now

Film & TV

Thursday April 10, 2014 Comments

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Any Day Now is a captivating film based on a true story which highlights the social injustice and discrimination of the legal system in America during the 1970s.

Directed by Travis Fine, who also co-wrote the script with George Arthur Bloom, it stars Alan Cumming as Rudy Donatello, an entertainer who earns a meager living as a lip-syncing drag queen in a West Hollywood nightclub. It is here he meets boyfriend Paul (Garrett Dillahunt), who became a lawyer “to change the world and make a difference”.

When his young neighbour Marco (Isaac Leyva), a 14-year-old boy with Down Syndrome, is left at home alone by his mother, Rudy steps in to help. He seeks support from Fleiger – a move which initially causes surprise and embarrassment for the closeted lawyer – and they are granted temporary custody of Marco under emergency orders.

Yet the men continue to be marginalised by an inequitable system, with Paul also forced to challenge discrimination at work.

In their own way, each main character is seeking a sense of belonging as they strive create a family and a place to call home; the home-movie scenes and Cummings’ rendition of the title song Any Day Now are particularly moving and poignant. Sadly, however, the odds are stacked against them.

Any Day Now is a tender, eye-opening film which shines light on the consequences of stretching the boundaries of convention in a society that’s steeped in prejudice and has outmoded laws which lack humanity.

The film has won a host of international awards, including best film and best actor (Cumming) at the Seattle Film Festival in 2012, the year of its American release. Cummings’ stand-out performance is a career highlight.

More InDaily film reviews:

Noah
Half of a Yellow Sun
I, Frankenstein
Wadjda
Cuban Fury
Need for Speed
Non-Stop
Nebraska

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<address><a href="https://inreview.com.au/contributors/patricia-herreen/" class="author">Patricia Herreen</a></address>
											
							Any Day Now is a captivating film based on a true story which highlights the social injustice and discrimination of the legal system in America during the 1970s.
Directed by Travis Fine, who also co-wrote the script with George Arthur Bloom, it stars Alan Cumming as Rudy Donatello, an entertainer who earns a meager living as a lip-syncing drag queen in a West Hollywood nightclub. It is here he meets boyfriend Paul (Garrett Dillahunt), who became a lawyer “to change the world and make a difference”.
When his young neighbour Marco (Isaac Leyva), a 14-year-old boy with Down Syndrome, is left at home alone by his mother, Rudy steps in to help. He seeks support from Fleiger – a move which initially causes surprise and embarrassment for the closeted lawyer – and they are granted temporary custody of Marco under emergency orders.
Yet the men continue to be marginalised by an inequitable system, with Paul also forced to challenge discrimination at work.
In their own way, each main character is seeking a sense of belonging as they strive create a family and a place to call home; the home-movie scenes and Cummings’ rendition of the title song Any Day Now are particularly moving and poignant. Sadly, however, the odds are stacked against them.
Any Day Now is a tender, eye-opening film which shines light on the consequences of stretching the boundaries of convention in a society that’s steeped in prejudice and has outmoded laws which lack humanity.
The film has won a host of international awards, including best film and best actor (Cumming) at the Seattle Film Festival in 2012, the year of its American release. Cummings’ stand-out performance is a career highlight.
<h5><a href="#more-indaily-film-reviews" aria-hidden="true" class="aal_anchor" id="more-indaily-film-reviews"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="aal_svg" height="16" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 16 16" width="16"><path fill-rule="evenodd" d="M4 9h1v1H4c-1.5 0-3-1.69-3-3.5S2.55 3 4 3h4c1.45 0 3 1.69 3 3.5 0 1.41-.91 2.72-2 3.25V8.59c.58-.45 1-1.27 1-2.09C10 5.22 8.98 4 8 4H4c-.98 0-2 1.22-2 2.5S3 9 4 9zm9-3h-1v1h1c1 0 2 1.22 2 2.5S13.98 12 13 12H9c-.98 0-2-1.22-2-2.5 0-.83.42-1.64 1-2.09V6.25c-1.09.53-2 1.84-2 3.25C6 11.31 7.55 13 9 13h4c1.45 0 3-1.69 3-3.5S14.5 6 13 6z"></path></svg></a>More InDaily film reviews:</h5>
<a href="http://indaily.com.au/arts-and-culture/2014/04/03/noah-bedtime-story/">Noah</a> 
<a href="http://indaily.com.au/arts-and-culture/2014/04/03/half-yellow-sun/">Half of a Yellow Sun</a> 
<a href="http://indaily.com.au/arts-and-culture/2014/03/27/frankenstein/">I, Frankenstein</a> 
<a href="http://indaily.com.au/arts-and-culture/2014/03/27/wadjda-ground-breaking-cinema/">Wadjda</a> 
<a href="http://indaily.com.au/arts-and-culture/2014/03/20/cuban-fury/">Cuban Fury</a> 
<a href="http://indaily.com.au/arts-and-culture/2014/03/13/need-speed/">Need for Speed</a> 
<a href="http://indaily.com.au/arts-and-culture/2014/03/06/non-stop-flight-terror/">Non-Stop</a> 
<a href="http://indaily.com.au/arts-and-culture/2014/02/27/nebraska/">Nebraska</a>
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