''To Die For'' is a 1994 British

romantic Romantic may refer to: Genres and eras * The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries ** Romantic music, of that era ** Romantic poetry, of that era ** Romanticism in science, of that e ...

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

film directed by Peter Mackenzie Litten and written by Johnny Byrne,

Paul McEvoy Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

and Litten. The film stars Thomas Arklie, Ian Williams,

Tony Slattery Tony Declan James Slattery (born 9 November 1959) is an English actor and comedian. He appeared on British television regularly from the mid-1980s, most notably as a regular on the Channel 4 improvisation show ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' His ...

, Dillie Keane, Jean Boht, John Altman and Caroline Munro.

Plot

Set in London in the early 1990s, the film portrays the bittersweet lifestyles of a young gay couple in a fiery open relationship. Mark is an acerbic drag queen with a sharp tongue, who finds it difficult to accept his much better-looking partner's highly promiscuous lifestyle of non-stop clubbing and cruising. Worse still, Mark is

HIV positive The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immu ...

and his partner is negative. Both of them are struggling to come to terms with Mark's deteriorating condition. Nowadays, Mark prefers to stay at home when not performing – working on his own panel of embroidery for an AIDS quilt memorial project. Simon, however, prefers to turn a blind eye to the situation and continues to cruise London's gay bars at night looking for action. Mark dies early on in the story and Simon becomes the focus of the story as he buries his feelings and continues his torrid sex life. At first, he seems completely unaffected by his lover's death. However, when Mark returns to haunt him, his life suddenly becomes a lot more complex, especially as he is the only one who can see Mark. It turns out that Mark has actually returned to help his partner to accept his true feelings and to encourage him to reassess his reckless lifestyle – a lifestyle that he is sure will never bring him the happiness he seeks. Eventually, Mark gets through to him and Simon breaks down and weeps for the very first time. Mark's work is done and he can leave his one-time lover to move on with his life.

Cast

* Thomas Arklie as Simon * Ian Williams as Mark *

as Terry * Dillie Keane as Siobbah * John Altman as Dogger * Jean Boht as Mrs. Downs * Caroline Munro as Mrs. Pignon *

Ian McKellen Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. His career spans seven decades, having performed in genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. Regarded as a British cultural i ...

as Quilt Documentary Narrator

External links

* * * 1994 films 1994 fantasy films 1994 independent films 1994 LGBT-related films 1994 romantic comedy films 1994 romantic drama films 1990s ghost films 1990s fantasy comedy-drama films 1990s romantic comedy-drama films 1990s romantic fantasy films British fantasy comedy-drama films British ghost films British independent films British LGBT-related films British romantic comedy-drama films British romantic fantasy films 1990s English-language films Films about the afterlife Films set in London Films shot in London Gay-related films HIV/AIDS in British films LGBT-related romantic comedy-drama films 1990s British films {{1990s-comedy-drama-film-stub