Showing @ Filmhouse, Edinburgh until Thu 04 Jul

Steven Soderbergh / USA / 2013 / 118 mins

Liberace was undoubtedly one of the most flamboyant and exuberant characters of the 20th century. His career in entertainment spanned four decades and between the 1950s and 70s he was the highest paid showman in the world. Throughout his lifetime, Liberace denied being gay, suing anyone who accused him of it. Matt Damon and Michael Douglas star in Steven Soderbergh’s biopic of Liberace, told through the lens of Scott Thorson, his chauffeur and lover.

The film is inspired by Thorson’s memoir, which charts the time between their meeting in 1976 and Liberace’s death in 1987. It’s cut in such a way that tension, awkwardness and innuendo are at the forefront; the film isn’t camp itself but highlights the eccentricity in the characters and their lifestyles. The pace slows as the film progresses but the performances delivered by Douglas and Damon continue to demand attention, much like their characters, throughout. It is at points, uncomfortable and at others, moving. Although little attention is given to the sexuality cover-up, the struggle to define identity, to be socially accepted and to maintain the illusive status quo is never far from the surface. Soderbergh’s film works hard to show Liberace as the tragic hero of his own life story; a victim of the time in which he lived, but by no means a prisoner of it. And that’s where it succeeds.

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