The ill-fated couple in Armfield’s latest film, Holding the Man, played by Ryan Corr and Craig Stott were equally consumed, by love and AIDS.

Every day, in both films, was lived as if it were their last. They were together for a short, but good time. Both films were based on real people, which makes the filmic experience deeper for the viewer.

This film has grown from a book – Tim Conigrave’s 1995 memoir, adapted by Tommy Murphy for the stage, then 10 years later for this film.

This has been a huge project for Murphy. He, like many others, believed that Tim’s story was bigger than the printed page, or a lit stage (even international stages). With director Neil Armfield, he has been able to make this dream a reality.

Armfield had a personal link to the story, as he knew Conigrave. Murphy and Armfield have been able to portray the honesty, sense of family and questioning of societal attitudes, while telling the story of the men’s lives.

Tim Conigrave (Ryan Corr) and John Caleo (Craig Stott) met when they were students at Xavier College, in Melbourne’s affluent Eastern Suburbs, in the seventies. Despite this era, they were a couple for the next 15 years.

The film celebrates their growing up and how they were able to withstand everything that life threw at them.

Tim was an actor (NIDA), writer and activist. John was a chiropractor. Tim was loud and brash, John quiet. The film acknowledges the memories of the friends and families; many contacted the actors and crew to offer support and advice.

Armfield auditioned many actors for the film, then auditioned combinations to achieve the right chemistry, which he has achieved.

Some people say the Tim was brave to tell his story. For him it was not bravery but his life.

There is a wonderful support cast: Anthony La Paglia (John’s father) Kerry Fox, (Tim’s mother) and Guy Pearce (Tim’s father).