1985 (film)

1985 is an American drama film, directed by Yen Tan and released in 2018. The film is an expansion of an earlier short film of the same name that Tan released in 2016.

Plot
Set in Texas in 1985, the film stars Cory Michael Smith as Adrian Lester, a closeted gay man returning home after several years living in New York City to tell his family that he is dying of AIDS. The cast also includes Michael Chiklis and Virginia Madsen as Adrian's parents, Aidan Langford as his younger brother Andrew, and Jamie Chung as his childhood friend Carly.

Release
The film premiered in March 2018 at SXSW. It subsequently screened at a number of LGBT and general interest film festivals, including as the opening gala at the 2018 Vancouver Queer Film Festival. The movie’s DVD and digital release was in December 2018. It also was released in the United Kingdom by Peccadillo Pictures, and is planned to be released in Australia, New Zealand and Germany.

Reception
1985 was given multiple prizes like the Grand Jury Prize at the SXSW Texas Competition, the Festival Best Feature at Fire!! Barcelona LGBT Film, the Audience Award and the Student Jury Prize at the Champs-Élysées Film Festival in Paris, the Grand Jury Award and the Best Screenwriting award at the Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival and the awards of: Best Feature Film, Best Writer for Yen Tan, Best Actor for Cory Michael Smith, Best Supporting Actor for Michael Chiklis, Best Supporting Actress for Jamie Chung at the Queen Palm International Film Festival.