Chris & Don. A Love Story

"Chris & Don. A Love Story"
Tina Mascara and Guido Santi, 2008

I admire people who have the courage to go against the grain and engage in what they love, even if all of society is working against them. Thus, my interest in this new documentary, which follows the decades-long romance between a 19-year-old future portrait artist and a 49-year-old writer, Don Bachardy and Chris Isherwood, respectively, that began in the 1950s. This is a touching story about two men who remained dedicated to each other in spite of their huge age gap and other relationship issues that cropped up.

The filmmakers mix in fascinating archive footage, shot by Don and Chris themselves, simple animation involving a cat and a horse, which serves as a representation of their relationship, and several hazy and pointless re-enactments. Don himself, who is seventy-four years old, sports very stylish glasses and still paints portraits, serves as the unofficial narrator. Despite growing up in L.A., he speaks in an unusually eloquent manner, and with a hint of a British accent, both of which he attained from the British-born Chris.

Don isn't afraid to delve into the darker aspects of his relationship, especially with regards as to whether it was in his best interest to engage in such a dedicated relationship when he was so young. After all, he had little time to develop himself as an a unique individual, which frustrated him and even led to some extra-relationship affairs. Chris died nearly twenty-five years ago, and even though the film features some diary entries, which are read by Michael York, it would have been interesting to hear more of his perspective on the relationship, and how his life-long interest in very young-looking men affected the way he was perceived by others; as Don points out, both of them share an eerie semblance that makes them look like father and son.

But this isn't a documentary about how others perceived the couple, even though the film may have been more compelling had it delved into the social difficulties experienced by a gay couple that was out during the 1950s. Rather, this film focuses almost exclusively on their experiences with one another, placing special emphasis on how close they became during the last six months Chris's life, while he was slowly dying from prostate cancer. Don decided to make portraits of Chris on a daily basis, which document Chris's bodily deterioration in an unflinching manner. "I saw it as payback," Don laughs, "seeing as Chris was the one who got me into drawing in the first place." And we realize that Don, despite his difficulties, was incredibly fortunate, more so than most straight couples, to have had such a beautiful and committed relationship.

First Viewed: 7/26/08, in 35 mm projection
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