Keep the Lights On
2012 · Movie · NR · 102 min · ★ 5.7 · 85% critics
Set in late-1990s New York, this drama follows a filmmaker and a lawyer whose chance connection grows into a long, on-and-off relationship. As the years pass, one partner struggles with boundaries, emotional dependence, and the challenge of staying honest with himself inside a painful, unstable romance.
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Details
- Years
- 2012
- Release date
- 2012-07-27
- Language
- English
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 102 min
- Max quality
- HD
- Critic score
- 85/100
- TMDB rating
- 5.7/10 (102 votes)
About
You may like this if you’re open to intimate, melancholy relationship dramas like High Art or Passages, especially ones centered on emotional messiness and unresolved longing; Not for you if you want uplifting energy or easy characters to root for.
Pros: emotionally raw relationship drama; sincere performances; realistic long-term arc | Cons: bleak tone; hard to connect; frustrating characters
Themes
- hiv
- drug rehabilitation
- intervention
- lgbt
- semi autobiographical
- documentary filmmaking
- substance abuse
- sex worker
- toxic relationship
- gay theme
Awards & recognition
- Dorian Award — LGBTQ Film of the Year · 2012
- Teddy Award · 2012
- GLAAD Media Award — Outstanding Film – Limited Release · 2013 · nominated
- Independent Spirit Award — Best Director · 2013 · nominated
- Independent Spirit Award — Best Male Lead · 2013 · nominated
Show all 6 awards →
- Independent Spirit Award — Best Screenplay · 2013 · nominated
Cast & crew
Thure Lindhardt
as Erik Rothman
Zachary Booth
as Paul Lucy
Julianne Nicholson
as Claire
Souléymane Sy Savané
as Alassane
- JR
Justin Reinsilber
as Dan
Ed Vassallo
as Thomas
Paprika Steen
as Karen
- MN
Marilyn Neimark
as Marilyn Neimark
Sebastian La Cause
as Russ
- SH
Sarah Hess
as Katie
Directed by Ira Sachs