As far as Winslet goes, I’d start with Heavenly Creatures. It’s the best and to my mind, the most influential of her early work. I can see traces of the mood of HC in movies even today.

I guess I’m more comfortable writing a review and putting something personal in there once in a while. But I just might make an exception. Thanks for the kind words.

Lately, I’ve been wanting to see movies of Kate Winslet before “Titanic.” I think I might start with “Heavenly Creatures” before diving into plays and period dramas.

I loved your story! I know you deal almost exclusively in review, which you do with a remarkable skill and a keen eye for both technical aspects, the impact of narrative choices and a clever way to pepper the dreary plot summary with analytical observations, but I think you should write a short, personal essay on that particular part of your history with Titanic. Your readers would love it, I’m sure, and it also tells something about how our love of movies 1) can be shaped and hardened (no pun intended) at a young age and 2) often transcends the spectacle of the movie itself. Thanks for sharing.

As for your quips about the nude scenes, If I’m not mistaken, I’m a few years older than you (?), but even in my Norwegian schoolyard (I was 12 at the time), there were whispers about the nudity. And, like you, when I got to see the movie, I realized that I was much more attracted to Leo.

That said, Kate Winslet! Wow, is she beautiful. And probably the best actress of her generation.

I was not at the gathering in Oslo, but similar gatherings were arranged all over the country at the time. The gather in my hometown, Bergen, was much smaller, but the signal from there was the same: We refuse to be divided by hatred and extremism; our fight for a more just and equal society, where no discrimation persists, will continue. It was a very special moment for me, as it was the first time since August 2011 that people again lay down roses at the monument called the Blue Stone in the central square of Bergen, where people first came to show their support, to grieve and to commemorate in the weeks immediately after terror attacks. I belonged to the same political party as the victims and knew a few of them personally, so the events and the aftermath of July 22nd will forever be seared into my memory and will forever influence how I view politics and collective action.

Again, thank you so much.

“Titanic” was released when I hadn’t yet moved to the U.S. I only heard about it because of the infamous nude scene from schoolmates. After finally sneaking into a theater with a friend and watching it, I remember I felt so… naughty, for the lack of a better word, afterwards. Granted, I was able to only understand a few words of English but the sense of accomplishment felt too clear. 1) The fact that the movie wasn’t intended for people my age and 2) Seeing Rose naked! As for #2, in retrospect, I don’t see why it was such a big deal. I mean, I saw breasts prior to that, but I guess it was more about finally knowing what everyone was on about. Of course, my attention was more on Leo anyway! It made me more excited to move to America because I thought all guys looked like him. (Much to my disappointment…)

Titanic is certainly worth a second look – if you can look past all the obvious corniness, it hides a surprisingly heartfelt love and life story, and an expertly executed disaster movie. We of course agree on Leo’s dreaminess. I had discovered him in R&J as well, but it was Titanic that really cemented my crush on him. He was one of my truly influential early gay crushes.

Anyway, an incredible read – thanks!

as always, thanks for your comment.

I think we basically agree on this. You bring up an important point that I wanted to include in the piece, about how I think, if Anderson Cooper is gay and he actually came out and confirmed it, so many people would rally to his side. While I generally err on the side of privacy – after all, only the individual knows if he or she is gay, or want to identify as gay, either privately or publicly – in that sense I think celebrities run less of a risk than the very real risk faced by regular boys, girls, men and women who don’t have the support of the public at their backs. Of course, here too, there are grey areas, as I mentioned in the piece, as a field like soccer would require a pioneer to take a very public stand, which raises the emotional costs considerably.

I remember growing up , wanting to see a gay role model I could relate too , now I hope its slightly better for young people growing up as there so many more ‘visable’ rather than ‘invisable’ role models .