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The Sheffield culture guide written by in-the-know locals

My Own Private Idaho

River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves star in director Gus Van Sant's loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry IV. It's the haunting tale of two young street hustlers: Mike Waters, a sensitive narcoleptic who dreams of the mother who abandoned him, and Scott Favor, wayward son of the mayor of Portland and the object of Mike's desire. Navigating a volatile world of junkies, thieves and johns, Mike takes Scott on a quest from the grungy streets to the open highways to the Pacific Northwest in search of an elusive place called 'home'.

My Own Private Idaho is a stirring look at unrequited love and life at society's margins. It's considered a classic of New Queer Cinema, the early 1990s movement in queer-themed independent filmmaking.

Screenings:

14 February, Showroom (with intro by the Showroom's Young Programmers) – book now
17 February, Film Unit – book now

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