Indian Summer, also known as Alive & Kicking, is a 1996 British drama film directed by Nancy Meckler and starring Jason Flemyng, Antony Sher and Bill Nighy. The script was written by Martin Sherman, author of the play Bent. The film was released in the UK as Indian Summer and in the United States as Alive & Kicking due to the recently released Indian Summer by Mike Binder in 1993.
Plot
The story follows a self-involved and very focused dancer, Torino, who has just lost his lover, Ramon, to AIDS. He then refuses to let the fact that he is HIV positive disrupt his career as he rehearses a staging of Indian Summer, a gay-themed ballet about love and lust.
After Ramon's funeral, the dancer begins a troubled relationship with an older man, Jack, a therapist, who also has problems with controlling his own drinking.
Cast
Jason Flemyng as Tonio
Antony Sher as Jack
Bill Nighy as Tristan
Diane Parish as Millie
Dorothy Tutin as Luna
Anthony Higgins as Ramon
Philip Voss as Duncan
Aiden Waters as Vincent
Natalie Roles as Catherine
Freddy Douglas as Luke
Kenneth Tharp as Howard
Michael Keegan-Dolan as Alan
Ruth Lass as Night Nurse
Linda Bassett as Doctor
Hilary Reynolds as Nurse
Reception
The film's reviews were mixed. It holds a 83% "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 6 reviews.
Timeout's review states "gritty British realism, resolutely unglamorous and looking always rather TV-bound," but the script, "is cogent and witty".
A DVD of the film was released in the UK on 6 September 2010.