‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’: a surrealistic critique of monogamy and the nuclear family
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(Credit: United Artists)
Very few films can be described as being ahead of their time, with some describing the likes of Girlfriends, Beau Travail and Jeanne Dielman as being masterpieces that were truly in a league of their own, creating stories that felt daring and entirely different. However, there haven’t been many movies with nuanced and authentic portrayals of queer characters, with films like Fox and his Friends, Paris is Burning and The Watermelon Woman existing as some of the few projects that are created with compassion and empathy for this community.
But within the mess of all the two-dimensional, stereotypical or downright insulting characters, there is one film from 1971 that is revolutionary in its portrayal of non-monogamy and polyamorous characters.
Sunday Bloody Sunday, directed by John Schlesinger, follows a recently divorced woman called Alex and a doctor called Daniel, who are both in a relationship with a younger man called Bob, aware of his relationship with both of them and coming to terms with their own conflicted feelings about this. Bob reminds them of the freedom and joy they felt in their youth, and their relationship with him draws out a side of themselves that they had previously lost amid the struggles and pains of adult life, but they struggle to come to terms with the fact that he loves two people.
Considering the fact that it was released in 1971, it is a groundbreaking film that critiques monogamy in a way that was practically unheard of for the time, with the subject being somewhat taboo and unacknowledged within the medium of film.
By carefully entangling each of their storylines and showing their lives in between these encounters, the director creates a layered story about intimacy, vulnerability and the constraints of traditional relationships. Each character becomes aware of the fact that monogamy is a flawed system of logic that does not serve their needs, but they struggle to separate themselves from this system due to how ingrained their ideas are about what is normal and expected.
Besides the critique of monogamy, the film also features a relationship between two men that is radical in how tender and soft it is, with relationships between gay men typically being portrayed in a one-sided way that doesn’t allow for this kind of intimacy. Daniel and Bob are incredibly loving and kind to each other, having considered conversations about their relationship and being physically affectionate with one another outside of their sex life, showing a softer side to a dynamic that isn’t always shown in such a way.
Ultimately, Sunday Bloody Sunday is about the desire to feel seen and accepted, with each character wanting to hold onto a love that makes them feel this way while also knowing that it is generally frowned upon by society as a whole. It depicts homosexuality and polyamory in a way that is full of longing, tenderness and honesty, sharing a story that is very rarely seen on screen and doing so with radical sensitivity and care.
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