In from the Side

In from the Side is a British film, directed by Matt Carter and written by Carter and Adam Silver.[3] Rugby players Mark and Warren from a cash-strapped and divided gay rugby club unwittingly sleepwalk into an adulterous affair, but must conceal their growing feelings or risk destroying the club they love. Carter had been involved in inclusive rugby for 8 years when the film was released.[4]

In from the Side
Directed byMatt Carter
Written by
  • Matt Carter
  • Adam Silver
Produced by
  • Andrew Faure
  • Adam Silver
  • Matt Carter
Starring
  • Alexander Lincoln
  • Alexander King
  • Christopher Sherwood
  • Peter McPherson
  • Pearse Egan
  • Carl Loughlin
  • Ivan Comisso
CinematographyMatt Carter
Edited byMatt Carter
Music byMatt Carter
Production
company
Take A Seat Pictures
Distributed byVerve (UK), Strand Releasing (US)
Release date
16 September 2022
Running time
134 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget$60,000[1]
Box office$52,885[2]

It was released in the United Kingdom on 16 September 2022.[5] It was released in the USA on 20 January 2023.[6][7] In the UK it is rated 15.[8] It was released on Netflix UK on March 28th.[9]

Synopsis

Mark Newton is a new and relatively inexperienced player on the B team of a London rugby club for gay men. He has a drunken encounter with Warren Hunt, a star player on the A team. Both men have long-term partners, with Warren's boyfriend, John, being another star player on the A team. Warren is initially worried the affair will get back to John, while Mark's travelling boyfriend, Richard, allows for an open relationship as long as Mark tells him about it and doesn't let it get past a one-time occurrence. While Richard is gone for a month, Mark and Warren decide to pursue the relationship. Mark's attempts to hide his infidelity cause his relationships with his teammates to suffer. Henry Michaels, another new rugby player, develops an alcohol problem due to his loneliness and unreciprocated feelings for Mark.

After losing their first game, B team takes on a serious competitor in order to establish themselves as a committed team or else they'll be dropped. Wanting to be with Mark, Warren offers to join the B team under the guise of helping them win. In doing so, B team player Gareth is benched for the game, causing him to be resentful toward Warren. The team wins the game and Mark abandons a drunken Henry to have sex with Warren at the hotel. The team notices Mark's detachment from the team, and Henry feels abandoned by Mark. Richard comes home and declines to spend Christmas in the French Alps with Mark's parents - prompting Mark to invite Warren instead. Warren is warmly welcomed by Mark's parents and enjoys Christmas together. Mark's mother reveals that she took his father from a long-term relationship and felt extreme guilt for hurting his girlfriend. During their marriage, his father had multiple affairs. His mother warns him that a relationship born from deception only breeds more and causes widespread collateral damage. Mark's father argues that he cannot be preoccupied with not wanting to hurt other people's feelings or else he would miss out on the joyous things life has to offer.

At the club's New Year's Eve party, Warren sends a text to Mark while Gareth uses his phone. After seeing the text, Gareth tells Henry and John out of revenge for getting benched, causing John to attack Mark. Mark leaves the party after Warren refuses to intervene. He comes home to find Richard with a naked photo of Warren, revealing one of Mark's teammates told him everything. Richard breaks up with Mark and kicks him out. The club decides to drop the B team after Mark quits but Warren convinces Mark to rejoin B team to keep it from being dropped. With Mark and Henry, B team wins the final game. Richard comes to see Mark play for the first time. Mark makes amends for the affair, but they decide to stay separated. After the game, Warren reveals that he and John are leaving the club, but is willing to leave John for Mark and start over, but Mark declines. At the club's celebration, Henry receives honours for the match. Mark sees a player from the opposing team staring at him - similar to how he and Warren met, signalling the potential for a new relationship.

Cast
  • Alexander Lincoln as Mark Newton
  • Alexander King as Warren Hunt
  • William Hearle as Henry Michaels
  • Christopher Sherwood as Jimmy
  • Carl Loughlin as Gareth
  • Peter McPherson as John Penrose
  • Pearse Egan as Pinky
  • Ivan Comisso as Carlos
  • Alex Hammond as Richard
  • Chris Garner as Stuart
  • Mary Lincoln as Alice Newton
  • Nigel Fairs as Leonard Newton
  • Frank Assi as Neil
  • Tom Murphy as Barry
  • Kane Surry as Olli
  • Steve Brockman as Cardiff Draconians Team Captain

Background and release

In from the Side was partly funded using a crowdfunding model.[10]

The film was shown at the BFI Flare Festival in 2022.[11] It was noted that it is unusual for an LGBT film in that coming out or homophobia are not in the film at all.[4]

It was part of the official selection of the Dayton LGBT film festival in 2022.[12] It was selected for Outfilm Poznań festival.[13] The film was also shown at Hong Kong Lesbian & Gay Film Festival in 2022[14] and Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival.[15]

Reviews

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 50% of 12 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.90/10.[16] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 42 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[17]

Pip Ellwood-Hughes in Entertainment Focus described it as "'In From The Side' offers a glimpse into the life of a group of friends who play rugby together and happen to be gay. It's different from pretty much every other film I've seen in recent years that falls under the LGBTQ+ umbrella, and it's not a surprise that the film is being embraced by the mainstream. With well-written characters, a truly engaging story and strong performances, 'In From The Side' is without a doubt the best gay film that's been released in a while, and it's also one of the best films I've seen all year."[5]

Cath Clarke of The Guardian gave the film 3 out of 5 stars describing "The setting of the London team is terrifically done, but the dull romance at the centre of Matt Carter's film long outstays its welcome."[18] Xan Brooks, also of The Guardian, criticised it as a "plodding script".[10]

Awards

References
  1. "In from the Side Review". LA Times. Archived from the original on January 20, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  2. "In from the Side". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  3. "In From The Side – Verve Pictures". Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  4. "In From The Side filmmakers on LGBTQ cinema: 'it's important to tell every story'". Attitude.co.uk. March 31, 2022. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  5. Ellwood-Hughes, Pip. "'In From The Side' review". Archived from the original on September 15, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  6. "Official Trailer for Gay Rugby Players Romance Film 'In from the Side' | FirstShowing.net". www.firstshowing.net. Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  7. Keslassy, Elsa (August 25, 2022). "'In From the Side' Finds North American Home With Strand Releasing (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  8. BBFC. "In From The Side". www.bbfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  9. "Netflix UK". Netflix UK. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023.
  10. "In From the Side review – gay rugby drama is too slow on its feet". the Guardian. September 18, 2022. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  11. "Sexual tension bubbles up in new trailer for rugby flick, In From the Side". Attitude.co.uk. July 26, 2022. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  12. "Dayton LGBT Film Festival". Dayton LGBT. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  13. "Niebezpieczna gra - Kino Muza". Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  14. "In From The Side". Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  15. In from the Side, archived from the original on September 20, 2022, retrieved September 20, 2022
  16. "In from the Side". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  17. "In from the Side". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  18. "In from the Side review – gay rugby love story looks bruisingly authentic". the Guardian. September 13, 2022. Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  19. "FilmOut San Diego, US (2022)". IMDb. Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  20. "2022 Award Winners". Out On Film Festival. Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  21. "2022 Festival". Reel Q. Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  22. "OUTshine Film Festival - Winners". outshinefilm.com. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
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