Although Oscar Wilde’s tumultuous life has been well-covered in cinema before, previous films (Wilde, The Trials of Oscar Wilde) have tended to shy away from portraying the ignominy and poverty of his difficult final years, a topic which writer, director, star Rupert Everett tackles head on in this superior and very personal biopic which debuted at the 2018 Berlin Film Festival. Following the 50-year anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 2017, The Happy Prince offers a very timely reminder of the shame society cast on those who dared to display their desires openly and the poisonous hypocrisy with which that same society would tolerate homosexuality almost entirely, as long as it was hidden.
The Happy Prince
Directed by Rupert Everett