"“A film that needs to be seen by a lot of people...”"

Gay marriage has only recently been made legal in England, and though signs of progression are seemingly evident, Travis Fine's Any Day Now is a pertinent reminder of much of the struggle many homosexuals have been through to get here – a struggle many of which are still going through today. This sincere and earnest offering to the needless debate about whether gay couples can adopt kids is concise, poignant and completely on the ball.

Set in 1970s America, we follow the relationship between lavish stage performer Rudy Donatello (Alan Cumming) and the more straight laced lawyer Paul Fliger (Garret Dillahunt), who meet at one of Rudy's cabaret shows. As the pair fall in love, their fledging romance soon becomes a mere backdrop with the introduction of Marco (Isaac Leyva), an abandoned mentally handicapped boy who Rudy grows attached to and desperately wants to adopt. However despite offering Marco a good home and safe environment, a prejudice legal system makes their desire to adopt, something of a pipe dream.

Two powerhouse performances ensure that Fine's vision is executed well on screen, in an emotionally charged and meaningful tale. Cummings is the real star of the show, portraying his character with an exuberance and flamboyance, yet complete with a heartbreaking fragility. Any Day Now is a real tear jerker, though there is a subtlety to much of this which allows for the viewer to feel genuinely impassioned and able to relate to the characters and root for their cause. It's moving and manages to get its message across without being cliched or in your face. That's not to say we don't have the occasional eye rolling sequence, because, and let's face it, no one can truly justify playing a music montage of home movie footage any more. A cinematic device we had hoped was behind us, as Fine can be accused of playing for sentimentality on occasion.

That doesn't take anything away from the powerful nature to this title, as Fine handles a plethora of themes expertly. Given the narrative there is a fear this could be attempting too much – you have the romance between Rudy and Paul, the prejudice and shortcomings in the American legal system, then of course the relationship between the couple and Marco, while then we explore how this innocent special needs child was left alone. Yet each and every theme is individually explored with enough depth, while allowing the other aspects to feel equally as important, as each separate subject lends itself to the next, to make for a well rounded, well balanced and emotional piece of cinema.

Any Day Now is simply a film that needs to be seen by a lot of people. It conveys an incredibly strong message, and with prejudice still prevalent in the gay community, it's films like this which could change certain people's outlook on such matters.