Daniel Hirsh (Peter Finch), a gay Jewish doctor, and Alex Greville (Glenda Jackson), a divorced middle-aged recruitment consulant, share the same answering service. They also share the same lover, because both are both having affairs with the same male sculptor, Bob Elkin (Murray Head). He is much younger, bisexual, and quite self-absorbed. Not only are Hirsh and Greville aware that Elkin is seeing the other but they actually know each other as well. Despite this, they put up with the situation through fear of losing Elkin, who switches freely between them. For Greville, the relationship is part of the growing disillusionment with her life, failed marriage and difficult childhood. For Hirsh, it is an escape from his repressed Jewish upbringing. He is not concerned or obsessed with his homosexuality. Both realise their situation is temporary, and when Elkin decides to leave the country, they both come face to face for the first time, at the very end. Despite their competitive situation and love for Elkin, both know that it is time to move on.
This drama about the bisexual love triangle between three characters navigating the changing mores of the early 1970s sexual revolution straddles the line between character study and social commentary. Considered groundbreaking for its frank depiction of homosexuality, including one of the first onscreen same sex kisses, the film's nonjudgmental approach to its characters' loneliness is shaped by Penelope Gilliatt's screenplay, John Schlesinger's direction, and the excellent performances of its two leads. Ron Geesin composed the original music. Schlesinger's film highlights some facts about how people's attitudes to relationships and each other have changed over just two generations.
