The Sum of Us is a 1994

1994 in film

1994 was a significant year in film.The top grosser worldwide was The Lion King, which to date stands as the highest-grossing traditionally-animated film of all time...

 Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n film version of the play The Sum of Us

The Sum of Us

The Sum of Us is a play by David Stevens.The plot revolves around the comfortable relationship between widower Harry and his gay son Jeff and their individual searches for the right mate. Harry unconditionally loves his Rugby-playing son, and even takes an active part in Jeff's search for Mr. Right...

. Directed by Kevin Dowling

Kevin Dowling (director)

Kevin Dowling is an American film, television director and producer.-Early life and New York theater:Kevin Dowling was raised in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, the son of Dr. John J...

 and Geoff Burton, the film starred Russell Crowe

Russell Crowe

Russell Ira Crowe is a New Zealander Australian actor , film producer and musician. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the 2000 historical epic film Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor, a...

 and Jack Thompson

Jack Thompson (actor)

Jack Thompson, AM is an Australian actor and one of the major figures of Australian cinema. He was educated at University of Queensland, before embarking on his acting career. In 2002, he was made an honorary member of the Australian Cinematographers Society...

. The screen adaptation mimics the play's device of breaking the fourth wall with direct to camera conversational asides by both Harry and Jeff.

Plot

Jeff (Crowe), lives with his widower father Harry Mitchell (Thompson). Much of the movie is about Harry's over-eager support for his son, and his concerns that Jeff doesn't have a boyfriend. Harry meets an attractive but judgemental divorcee through a dating service, and this leads to some conflict between the two main characters. Halfway through, though, the story takes unexpected, darker turns and attains a new level of profundity, becoming a meditation on the enduring strength of love, both familial and romantic, in the face of adversity.

Awards

Stevens' screenplay won awards from the Australian Film Institute and the Montréal World Film Festival, and the movie was named Best Film at the Cleveland International Film Festival.