''Squeeze'' is a New Zealand drama film, directed by Richard Turner and released in 1980.Kevin Thomas
"A Bisexual's Self-Discovery in Squeeze"
'' Los Angeles Times'', April 10, 1981. The film stars Robert Shannon as Grant, a

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

businessman torn between his relationships with his fiancée Joy (Donna Akersten) and his boyfriend Paul (Paul Eady).George Williams
"Stirring Performances Redeem 'The Squeeze'"
'' Sacramento Bee'', June 28, 1983. The film, made six years before homosexuality was decriminalized in New Zealand, was refused funding by the New Zealand Film Commission, and instead its $100,000 budget was funded almost entirely by individual donors within Auckland's LGBT community.Meaghan Morris
"Imaginative, colourful portrayal of gay life"
''

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper i ...

'', February 14, 1981. The film premiered in July 1980 in Auckland, and had its North American premiere in October 1980 at the Chicago International Film Festival. It was subsequently screened in selected markets in 1981, including

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and Los Angeles, and at the 1981 Festival of Festivals in Toronto.

Critical response

Kevin Thomas of the '' Los Angeles Times'' reviewed the film positively, writing that "What is most important about 'Squeeze' is the steadfast compassion with which it views its hero…’Squeeze' is a drama of most painful self-discovery, well-acted and heightened by an aptly moody, restless score." Thomas criticized the score, but still thought that the execution matched the theme the film tried to make. George Williams of the '' Sacramento Bee'' also criticized the film's audio, writing that the dialogue was sometimes "nearly unintelligible as it is mixed in with the background noise of street scenes and confrontations in gay bars", but concluded that the film was redeemed especially by the strength of Shannon and Eady's performances. Meaghan Morris of the ''

'' criticized the portrayal of Joy as "like something out of the 1950s", and characterized some of its dramatic scenes as something akin to soap opera, but praised Shannon's performance and wrote that the film is "worth seeing just for the evocation of the streetlife of Auckland".

Soundtrack

The movie's title derives from the song ''Squeeze'' by Toy Love. The film features the song along with music from other Auckland post-punk bands, The Features and the Marching Girls.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0220773 1980 films 1980s New Zealand films 1980 drama films 1980 LGBT-related films New Zealand drama films New Zealand LGBT-related films LGBT-related drama films Male bisexuality in film Films set in Auckland Films shot in New Zealand 1980s English-language films