There’s a movie coming this fall that many of us will want to see together. It’s called The Man I Love, and it already earned a standing ovation at its Cannes premiere this past May. Ira Sachs directed it, and if you’re familiar with his work — like Love Is Strange — you know he doesn’t rush his stories. He tells heartfelt, unhurried tales that really stick with you.
Set in New York City in the late 1980s, the film stars Rami Malek as Jimmy George, a stage actor living with AIDS. But this isn’t a sad tale of a man waiting to die. It’s about someone determined to keep going, putting on one more show with his small theater group even as his health declines. He lives with his boyfriend, Dennis (Tom Sturridge), who moves in, tracks his pills, and cares for him. Then there’s Vincent (Luther Ford), a younger guy who falls for Jimmy. The two start something while Dennis is still around, so things get complicated. However, no one is cast as the villain. They’re all just holding on to what they have while they still can.
Malek carries the film, but he’s supported by a strong cast. Rebecca Hall plays Jimmy’s sister, Brenda, who takes him out to a drag bar and loves him just as he is. Ebon Moss-Bachrach is her husband, Gene, whose awkwardness around Jimmy says a lot about how families were back then. Sachs shot the entire movie on 35mm, so the New York City depicted feels warm and lived-in, not slick or artificial.
One important thing to know is that Jimmy George isn’t a fictional character out of thin air. Sachs based him on real Queer artists from that era — Ron Vawter, Frank Maya, and the drag legend Ethyl Eichelberger — who helped shape the downtown art scene before AIDS claimed so many of them. That connection matters. If you recognize those names, you’ll feel it. If not, maybe you’ll be inspired to look them up.
The Man I Love premiered on May 20 at Cannes, where it was in competition for the Palme d’Or and the Queer Palm. When it ended, the audience stood and clapped for nearly ten minutes, making Malek teary. We don’t get films like this very often — made with genuine care, telling stories that matter. It’s not asking for your sympathy; it’s inviting you to remember, reflect, and live a little bit bigger.
You can catch The Man I Love in theaters starting October 23, 2026.
