Adrian Lester (Cory Michael Smith) returns to his Texas hometown for Christmas after three years away in New York. It’s 1985 and he’s already helplessly watched many of those around him dying of AIDS. Over the course of the holidays he struggles to reconnect with his religious family, who don’t yet know that he’s gay, and to face the truth about his own future.

In 1985, American-Malaysian director Yen Tan conveys the tragedy of this pivotal period in history through the ordinariness of broken people struggling with universal concerns. Featuring quietly haunting performances and beautiful black and white cinematography, it has won multiple prizes around the world – and rightfully so.