FRED Watch Quickie TV Review: Don’t Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves (2012)
GLOVES OFF, TISSUES READY…
I’m a Wayne Stellini and welcome to FRED Watch, where we review everything from the mainstream to the obscure. Today’s TV series is Don’t Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves (Torka aldrig tårar utan handskar)…
Sveriges Television
In 1982, practicing Jehovah’s Witness Benjamin (Adam Lundgren) meets Rasmus (Adam Pålsson), a university graduate who has just moved to Stockholm from his rural home.
Embraced by a new group of gay friends, Benjamin and Rasmus fall in love while going through the process of self-exploration and discovery. And then a lethal disease impacts their tight-knit community…
It is best to brace yourself when approaching a story about the devastating consequences of the HIV/AIDS virus that is set during a time when the recipients of the disease’s wrath were primarily young gay men. Productions about the early days of the AIDS epidemic are plentiful, and they tend to be either deeply impactful or manipulative fodder. Thankfully, Simon Kaijser helms Don’t Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves with skilful restraint and care, keeping the material in a believable world and away from the all-too-easy realms of melodrama. Stylistically, Stefan Kullänger’s cinematography, as well as Agneta Scherman and Kaijser’s editing, make this an aesthetically effective production.
Best-selling author Jonas Gardell’s screenplay, which coincided with the release of three novels (2012-2013), is a beautifully woven tale in which present, past, and multiple stories are linked seamlessly. Do not be mistaken, all the usual character and narrative tropes are there, but it works in the the story’s favour. There are an abundance of characters to get to know and understand; such shorthands make them easily accessible, but nonetheless complex, interesting, and relatable.
Our protagonist Benjamin is played with stunning purity by Adam Lundgren (a quality that Björn Kjellman carries through as the character in the present time scenes), whose inner conflict with his religion and the interpersonal tensions with his parents (solid work from Marie Richardson and Gerhard Hoberstorfer) demonstrate the actor’s phenomenal range. For example, just watch Lundgren in an emotional scene in which Benjamin fights for public acknowledgement against the wishes of Rasmus’s parents, played by the incredible Stefan Sauk and Annika Olsson. Such a moment brings to the forefront the underlying loneliness to Benjamin, insofar that he apparently cannot truly fit in with the religious customs with which he has grown, nor can he genuinely be himself among his fellow social outcasts.
Benjamin (Adam Lundgren) is given multiple reasons to weep, but who will wipe his eyes? (Main Image: Sveriges Television)
As Rasmus, Adam Pålsson possesses all the fearlessness that comes with youth and beauty; this makes his trajectory even more heartbreaking, and Pålsson holds his own alongside the aforementioned talent. More open to sexual exploration than Benjamin, Rasmus serves as a complementary and contrasting figure to his partner. Pushing this further is Simon J. Berger, whose portrayal of unapologetic, flamboyant queen Paul is a refreshing consistent throughout the series. In spite of it all, Paul refuses to be anything but fabulous with a touch of kitsch charm.
All these characters, plus others, are drawn together in a world afraid of an unknown, ruthless disease; a world in which contemporary history’s most discriminated against people become even more vilified. So, one must ask: At a time when the progressive world continues to move towards greater equality for its queer community, is a series such as Don’t Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves really necessary? The answer is a resounding yes. And allowing yourself to be taken into this three-hour experience is heartbreaking, rewarding, and humbling all at once.
Please watch it. 5 / 5
Starring: Adam Lundgren, Adam Pålsson, Simon J. Berger, Emil Almén, Michael Jonsson, Christoffer Svensson, Kristoffer Berglund, Annika Olsson, Stefan Sauk, Marie Richardson, Gerhard Hoberstorfer, Ulf Friberg, Björn Kjellman, Jonathan Eriksson, Claes Hartelius, Belle Weiths, Gorm Rembe-Nylander, Alexi Carpentieri, Lisa Linnertorp, Maria Langhammer, Sanna Sundqvist, Jennie Silfverhjelm, Julia Sporre.
Director: Simon Kaijser | Producer: Maria Nordenberg | Writer: Jonas Gardell | Theme Music Composer: Andreas Mattsson | Cinematographer: Stefan Kullänger | Editors: Agneta Scherman, Simon Kaijser
Available: DVD, Blu-ray and SBS On Demand
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