Drama  •  1987  •  111 min  •  Adults (18+)

Prick Up Your Ears (1987)

Prick Up Your Ears poster

Prick Up Your Ears (1987)


Rating & Dimensions

Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Leans Progressive
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
LGBTQ: Positive

Viewer Rating
7.5

Overview

When the young, attractive Joe Orton meets the older, more introverted Kenneth Halliwell at drama school, he befriends the kindred spirit and they start an affair. As Orton becomes more comfortable with his sexuality and starts to find success with his writing, Halliwell becomes increasingly alienated and jealous, ultimately tapping into a dangerous rage.


Starring Cast

Gary Oldman  •   Alfred Molina  •   Vanessa Redgrave


Where to watch

Prime Video logoPrime Video
Philo logoPhilo
YouTube logoYouTube
Powered byJustWatch

Detailed Bias Analysis

Analyzing...
Leans Progressive

Primary

Political: Leans Left
Confidence: High

The film's left-leaning bias stems from its empathetic portrayal of a homosexual relationship in a historically repressive era, implicitly critiquing societal intolerance and exploring themes of identity and marginalization without offering explicit political solutions.

Diversity: Moderate
Confidence: Medium

The movie features traditional casting that aligns with its historical biopic nature, without intentional race or gender swaps. While it explores the lives of a homosexual couple, addressing a DEI theme, its narrative focuses on biographical and psychological drama rather than explicitly critiquing traditional identities.

Secondary

LGBTQ: Positive
Confidence: High

The film offers a complex and empathetic biographical account of playwright Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell's relationship. It portrays their love, creative lives, and struggles against societal norms with dignity, framing external prejudices as obstacles. Despite the tragic ending, the narrative focuses on personal and psychological dynamics, affirming the worth of their lives and love without condemnation.

Trans: N/A
Confidence: High

The film 'Prick Up Your Ears' is a biographical drama about playwright Joe Orton and his lover Kenneth Halliwell. The narrative focuses on their relationship and careers, without featuring any identifiable transsexual characters or themes.

Female Combat: N/R

The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.

Gender Swap: No
Confidence: High

The film is a biopic based on real historical figures, Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell. All major characters are portrayed on screen with the same gender as their historical counterparts, with no instances of gender alteration from documented history.

Race Swap: No
Confidence: High

The film is a biopic about real historical figures, Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell, both of whom were white. The actors cast in these roles, Gary Oldman and Alfred Molina, are also white, aligning with the historical race of the characters.


Viewer Rating Breakdown

7.5

Viewer Rating

Combines user and critic ratings from four sources

User Ratings

IMDB logo
7.1
The Movie Database logo
6.7

Critic Ratings

Rotten Tomatoes logo
9.2
Metacritic logo
7.2

More Like This

Philomena poster
Leans Progressive
7.9
Philomena
 (2013)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Low
LGBTQ: Positive
King poster
Progressive
9.1
King
 (1984)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: High
Lee poster
Leans Progressive
6.7
Lee
 (2024)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: Moderate
Joy poster
Not Rated
7.3
Joy
 (2024)
Political: Center
Diversity: Not Rated
Kill poster
Not Rated
6.6
Kill
 (2024)
Political: Not Rated
Diversity: Not Rated
Femme poster
Progressive
7.6
Femme
 (2023)
Political: Leans Left
Diversity: High
LGBTQ: Positive
Pillion poster
Progressive
7.9
Pillion
 (2025)
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: High
LGBTQ: Positive
Bend poster
Leans Progressive
6.9
Bend
 (2021)
Political: Not Rated
Diversity: Not Rated
LGBTQ: Positive