I didn’t see Love Is Strange in the theater because I knew that I would watch it eventually. I saw it a week ago, and my heart still sings at the memory of it. I’m not a sappy person, but Love Is Strange still got to me. It seamlessly juxtaposes relationships at different stages in life. First, there is a young cop couple that still enjoy the best parts of being a couple and single, i.e. everyday is a party. Second, there is the married couple with a kid who love and respect each other, but some love gets lost in the logistics and responsibilities of life. Third, there is the central relationship between John Lithgow and Alfred Molina, a couple whose love has stood the test of time and is distilled in its purest form-being together is everything and enough. The drama unfolds when they get married with unexpected negative results. They live in NYC, and everyone knows and loves that they are a couple, but because of where Molina’s character works, he gets fired. It is a quintessential NYC story. You may love the city, but the city does not love you, and living in NYC has a way of making you incapable of living elsewhere-inability to drive, your entire work, social and practical circle is in the city so even though the outside world may think, “What is the big deal,” it is. If you are unable to understand and accept that premise, you are not going to get Love Is Strange. When you live in NYC, you may not have room for even one guest. Real estate is expensive so Lithgow and Molina have to find a cheaper place to live, but none of their NYC friends can accommodate the two of them so they must live apart until they can find another place. There is one scene that is agonizing when the impeccable Marisa Tomei and her husband are discussing life in their homey routine and they are blown away by the sheer love, desperation and comfort that Molina and Lithgow’s characters have by simply being in the same room together after being apart for so long (and any amount of time apart is too long and wrong). The scene is even more heart wrenching and perfect because the one doing the comforting is usually the one that falls to pieces and needs to be comforted in the relationship. Love Is Strange manages to communicate raw and authentic emotion with a perfection and honesty rarely depicted in most movies. It may be my favorite movie love story ever which is why I will NOT be complaining about how movies are constantly casting straight actors as gay men when there are plenty of unemployed gay male actors who would love a break in the biz. I am also delighted that we are now cinematically in a space where we can explore characters’ spirituality and entire lives instead of just the fact that someone is gay as the whole story. If you find the story’s premise offensive, don’t bother watching it, but it will be your loss because Love Is Strange is a must see.