The Lost Language of Cranes

Cast
Owen Benjamin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Brian Cox
Rose Benjamin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Eileen Atkins
Philip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Angus MacFadyen
Elliot Abrahams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Corey Parker
Geoffrey Lane. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rene Auberjonois
Derek. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .John Schlesinger
Jerene Parks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cathy Tyson
Frank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Richard Warwick
Nick. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nicholas Le Prevost
Robin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ben Daniels
Alex. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Frank Middlemass
Winston. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nigel Whitmey
Bob. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Edmund Kente
Production Credits
Written by. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .David Leavitt, Sean Matthias
Directed by. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nigel Finch
Produced by. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ruth Caleb
Executive Producers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kimberly Myers, Mark Shivas
Cinematography by. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Remi Adefarasin

?A racking and intensely conveyed impression of gay guilt and subterfuge ... one of the most testing and controversial films the BBC has ever made.? -Guardian

There was once a deprived child, locked in a room, with only one small window overlooking a construction site. Allowed no human contact, the child expressed himself with the noises and movements of the cranes at work ? in the language of the cranes.
The damage caused by long-kept secrets is at the heart of this moving drama adapted from David Leavitt?s acclaimed novel.The rigid, controlled movement of construction cranes is a metaphor for the way Owen has suppressed his true nature for years. To all that know them, Rose and Owen Benjamin appear a happily married couple. But Rose is unaware that Owen spends his Sunday afternoons in gay porno cinemas, wondering about what might have been. Their student son Philip is in love with Eliot, a young American living in London.

When he decides to tell his parents that he is gay, his honesty precipitates a crisis that threatens to tear the family apart. Rose takes his news philosophically, but for Owen it highlights the contradictions in his own life. An emotional dam breaks, years of self-loathing pour out, and he decides to tell the truth.

Although he still loves Rose, he abandons the safe world of the heterosexual for the difficult but rewarding journey of coming out. But as he begins to explore his sexuality more fully, the marriage inevitably breaks down, despite Rose?s efforts to continue as normal. And though there is pain and suffering for all involved, they are also given the opportunity to start their lives again, this time based on the truth.

See if you don't agree that honesty?not hypocrisy?is the best policy. When Philip (Angus Macfadyen, Braveheart, Titus) comes out to his parents, he triggers hidden emotions and startling actions that prove even the best intentions can resonate with severe consequences. His father Owen (Brian Cox, Troy, The Bourne Supremacy) decides that he, too, can no longer "live a lie," and embraces his own homosexuality, while his mother Rose (Dame Eileen Atkins, Cold Mountain, Vanity Fair) believes that "keeping certain secrets secret is essential to the general balance of life." Based on the acclaimed novel by David Leavitt, The Lost Language of Cranes is the compelling, moving saga of one family's struggle to hold on to each other without losing their true selves. Fans of Brokeback Mountain will enjoy both the wrenching drama and stellar performances.