Keep the Lights On

Released Sep 7, 2012

1 hr. 43 min.

Drama

LGBTQ+

List

90%

67 Reviews

Tomatometer

62%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Substance abuse and emotional and physical distance threaten the relationship between a gay filmmaker (Thure Lindhardt) and his longtime lover (Zachary Booth).

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Premiered Jul 01

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Critics Consensus

Keep the Lights On is a mysterious, sexy journey deep into the love affair of two men that always manages to stay true to life.

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Jeff M

When I found out that director/co-screenwriter Sachs based this shattering movie on his own life, I wasn't surprised at all. There is an air of authenticity throughout the entire production that would almost have to come from personal experience. It's one of the most effective movies I can think of in its depictions of both drug addiction and the disintegration of a relationship. It is refreshingly unflinching in both regards, and it doesn't fall into the trap of glamorizing drugs like many movies do. Lindhart's performance is the glue that holds the film together, and he is simply fantastic. It's often a minimal performance - he's often bottling a lot up inside - which makes the scenes in which he loses control that much more effective. It's awards-worthy work. And the film would most likely find a place on my ten-best list of its year.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/17/24

Full Review

PridePosterStudios

Unhappy, unhealthy, unrewarding.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

04/24/24

Full Review

johann m

🏳️‍🌈 A drama in which a Danish filmmaker, who lives in New York City to work on a documentary film, enters into a loving but complicated long-term relationship with a lawyer who struggles with drug addiction. A brutally honest and realistic depiction of what a couple can endure when substance abuse is a detrimental issue for a relationship. A sad and painful tale in which the main character conveys his emotions to express his frustration about the toxic relationship he just can't let go of. It's really devastating and heartbreaking to witness all he has to do for ten years trying to aid someone who can't be helped.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The movie had good writing and acting, but for me it was a bit depressing. I guess these days, during the pandemic, I'd prefer more optimistic and uplifting movies. I think the critics got this one right, and the reviews on this site, including mine weren't as positive, partially due to the subject matter.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

6/3/2019 I've spun the wheel on that list of LGBT movies and my finger landed on this one. And boy, it did not disappoint. It sees the unexpected love affair of a filmmaker and a lawyer, with its peaks and valleys that spanned almost a decade. The characters were me at several points in my life. Idealistic, cynical, optimistic, untrusting, promiscuous. Erik, the main character, remains true to the man he unconditionally loves who unfortunately does not reciprocate the affection the way that it should be. The ultimate decision at the end was heart wrenching but the movie leaves its own breadcrumbs of possibilities.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Very realible. It's not about a gay relationship, it's about love in all its shapes.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

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Ira Sachs

Director

Thure Lindhardt

Erik Rothman

Zachary Booth

Paul Lucy

Julianne Nicholson

Claire

Paprika Steen

Karen

Souléymane Sy Savané

Alassane

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Critics Consensus: The Words Doesn’t Know What To Say

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J. Hoberman

ARTINFO.com

The movie's elaborately failed closure only makes sense once you understand that the filmmaker's all-too-human desire for self-justification apparently trumped the ruthless self-control required to make a work of art.

Feb 25, 2019

Full Review

Nathan Lee

Film Comment Magazine

Keep the Lights On acknowledges (without belaboring) the performative nature of identity; how each of our claims to selfhood, be it sexual, romantic, or professional, are staged on a shifting terrain of habit, fantasy, and desire.

Aug 22, 2013

Full Review

Kimberley Jones

Austin Chronicle

There's a lot to like here, and if you're a traditionalist who hungers for a happy ending, you'll find it embedded in the opening credits.

Rated: 3.5/5

Nov 2, 2012

Full Review

Jordan M. Smith

IONCINEMA.com

Keep the Lights On stands as a heart-wrenching arch, oozing with amiable authenticity in slices of life too often shied away from on screen.

Nov 16, 2020

Full Review

David Lamble

Bay Area Reporter

Writer/director Ira Sachs has wisely chosen to tell the nine-year affair from the point of view of the filmmaker...

Jun 9, 2020

Full Review

B. Ruby Rich

Film Quarterly

This gay domestic drama is a fascinating turn for Sachs.

Feb 28, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

Substance abuse and emotional and physical distance threaten the relationship between a gay filmmaker (Thure Lindhardt) and his longtime lover (Zachary Booth).

Director: Ira Sachs
Executive Producer: Jawal Nga, Ali Betil, Adam Hohenberg, Lars Knudsen
Screenwriter: Ira Sachs, Mauricio Zacharias
Distributor: Music Box Films
Production Co: Alarum Pictures, Parts and Labor, Tiny Dancer Films, Post Factory Films, Film 50
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 7, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 22, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $243.5K

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