| The Man I Love | |
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| Directed by | Ira Sachs |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Josée Deshaies |
| Edited by | Affonso Gonçalves |
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Production
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Release date
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Running time
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95 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
The Man I Love is a 2026 musical fantasy drama film directed by Ira Sachs, co-written with Mauricio Zacharias. It stars Rami Malek, Tom Sturridge, Luther Ford, Rebecca Hall and Ebon Moss-Bachrach.
The film had its world premiere at the main competition of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival on May 20,[1] where it is nominated for the Palme d'Or and the Queer Palm.
Premise
Set in late 1980s New York City, the film follows Jimmy George, an actor facing a life-threatening illness, who takes on what may be his final major role.
Cast
- Rami Malek as Jimmy George, a celebrated theater actor working on a new project, who is slowly dying of AIDS complications[2]
- Tom Sturridge as Dennis, Jimmy's long-suffering but supportive boyfriend
- Luther Ford as Vincent, Leslie's roommate who becomes Jimmy's new lover
- Rebecca Hall as Brenda, Jimmy's sister and Gene's wife
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Gene, Brenda's husband and Jimmy's brother-in-law
- Amy Carlson as Phyllis
- Maisy Stella as Leslie, Jimmy and Dennis' young downstairs neighbor and Vincent's roommate
- Wesley Han as Laurent
Production
In January 2025, Ira Sachs revealed that he would be writing and directing a new film titled The Man I Love.[3] The film is produced by Big Creek Projects (Scott McGehee and David Siegel, and Mike Spreter), alongside Myriam Schroeter, Misook Doolittle, and Saïd Ben Saïd for SBS Productions. The creative team includes cinematographer Josée Deshaies, editor Affonso Gonçalves, casting director Avy Kaufman, production designer Tommy Love, and costume designer Megan Gray. The film is storyboarded by August Nandé.[4]
Principal photography began on September 29, 2025, in New York City, with Rami Malek, Tom Sturridge, Luther Ford, Rebecca Hall, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach joining the cast.[5][6]
Release
The film had its world premiere at the 79th Cannes Film Festival on May 20, where it will compete for the Palme d'Or.[7]
Following its Cannes premiere announcement, MK2 Films boarded the film as its international sales company, with WME Independent handling North American sales.[4]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 95% of 22 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.4/10.[8] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 78 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[9]
References
- ^ "The Screenings Guide of the 79th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. May 7, 2026. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
- ^ "THE MAN I LOVE". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
- ^ O'Rourke, Ryan; Weintraub, Steven (January 29, 2025). "Ben Whishaw and Ira Sachs Reveal They're Reuniting on 'The Man I Love' This Year [Exclusive]". Collider. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ a b Keslassy, Elsa (April 9, 2026). "Ira Sachs' Cannes Movie 'The Man I Love' Starring Rami Malek Boarded by MK2 Films, Reveals First Look (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
- ^ Lang, Brent (September 30, 2025). "Rami Malek, Rebecca Hall, Ebon Moss-Bachrach Starring in Ira Sachs' Musical Fantasia 'The Man I Love' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ "'The Man I Love': Rami Malek, Rebecca Hall, Ebon Moss-Bachrach & More Join Ira Sachs 1980s NYC Musical". The Playlist. September 30, 2025. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
- ^ "Cannes unveils 2026 Official Selection - updating live". Screen Daily. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
- ^ "The Man I Love". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
- ^ "The Man I Love". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
External links
- The Man I Love at IMDb