a rare find

The next great gay love story? ‘Unicorns’ already has audiences swooning

By · 9 comments · Updated on January 26, 2024
Ben Hardy and Jason Patel at the TIFF premiere of 'Unicorns'
Image Credit: Getty Images

Though we’re inarguably seeing a great diversity of queer representation on screen these days, trying to find a grown-up gay romance movie that feels authentic and doesn’t pander can be a bit like… well, it’s like trying to find a unicorn!

So we’re delighted to report that the upcoming Unicorns—a British love story that just premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to rave reviews—is exactly the kind of movie we’ve been waiting for.

The film centers on a blue-collar mechanic and single father named Luke (Ben Hardy) who, for all intents and purposes, assumes himself to be straight. But one night he unknowingly walks into a South Asian queer night at a local bar, and immediately finds himself transfixed by Muslim drag queen Aysha (Jason Patel).

The only thing is: He doesn’t realize Aysha is man in a wig. Thinking Luke does know what he’s getting into, Aysha engages in some heavy flirting, and then two wind up going home together.

Ben Hardy and Jason Patel in ‘Unicorns’

Of course, it’s there that Luke realizes the truth and, confused, asks Aysha to leave, which winds up being a rather costly cab drive home—especially considering nobody got any action.

Feeling slighted and strapped for cash, Aysha devises a plan: Luke is going to be his personal driver, giving him a lift from gig after gig, and the queen will share a portion of the profits in return.

As you might guess, all that time in the car gives the pair plenty of time to get to know each other. But this is no Driving Miss Daisy. Luke, especially, has to put his preconceived notions aside—both of Aysha, and of his own sexuality. There’s an undeniable spark between these two, and they discover they have more in common than they ever could’ve imagined.

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Unicorns was co-directed by Sally El Hosaini (The Swimmers) and actor James Krishna Floyd, who previously starred in the filmmaker’s feature debut My Brother The Devil. The film was warmly received when it premiered at TIFF last week, with early reactions praising it as a “gorgeous glittering hidden gem” with “divine” chemistry between its stars.

In fact, it sounds like Unicorns could be a real breakthrough moment for both of its stars!

Some viewers may already be familiar with the 32-year old Ben Hardy, who first made a name for himself playing Peter Beale on the long-running British soap EastEnders from 2013 to 2015. Since then, his most notable roles include Marvel mutant Angel in X-Men: Apocalypse and Queen drummer Roger Taylor in the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.

An early review from The Playlist hails Hardy’s performance as “absolutely incredible” and points to it as proof that he should be as big of a star as current U.K. “It Boy” Paul Mescal.

Hardy’s co-star, Jason Patel, is also making quite the impression as the glamorous Aysha—all the more impressive considering it’s the performer’s first feature film role (Patel is also a musician who’s been dropping original tracks since 2021).

And, together, Hardy and Patel make an irresistible pair—both on screen and off. Per Deadline, the actors were cast and kept from interacting all throughout the pre-production process, only meeting for the first time on set to allow the filmmakers to better capture the magic of a first encounter.

It was a gamble, sure (you can’t force chemistry!), but the pair immediately hit it off and became fast friends in real life. It’s a fact that’s become evident as the pair has palled around Toronto in support of Unicorns‘ festival premiere. That’s also clear in the aforementioned Deadline piece, in which the journalist mentions having seen Hardy in a play called The Judas Kiss, in which he appeared fully nude:

“So you’ve seen my penis?,’ Hardy jokingly asked the reporter.

“That makes two of us at this table then, doesn’t it?,” Patel quickly responded with a laugh. (Apparently the actors share more than a few intimate moments in the film.)

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Between the positive buzz for Unicorns and Hardy and Patel’s irresistible friendship, the internet’s already chomping at the bit to see the film for themselves. That goes especially for Twitter/X user @buckIeydiaz—our favorite unofficial documentarian of gay loves stories on social media—who’s been sharing plenty of adorable photos of the stars online:

Next, Unicorns heads to the BFI Film Festival in London on October 14, and will likely have further festival dates down the road. There’s no news on U.S. distribution just yet—and sadly no trailer to share either—but given the warm reception we wouldn’t be surprised to hear good news soon.

Stay tuned for more about when you can see Unicorns at a theater near you!

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