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Love and Death on Long Island Review: An observant, richly funny look at unlikely obsession (which takes its cue wittily from Visconti's Death in Venice), this engaging debut film by Richard Kwietniowski manages to be a slightly satiric dissection of class structure as well as a tale of unrequited love, a truly difficult balance that this film makes winning and real. John Hurt excels in a tricky lead role, mostly due not only to his mordant wit as an actor, but to his warm realization of the events the film depicts. The movie's look at contrasting sensibilities shines through, and never cheapens the central relationship of the two leads, giving it a gravity that a less nuanced film would have missed entirely. Jason Priestley is also a key to the film's success, delightfully sending up his television heartthrob background and, more importantly, creating an object of affection that is believable and endearing. Many critics have pointed out that the story bears some resemblance to the Oscar-winning Gods and Monsters that would follow a year later, and though there are similarities, this picture is truly original in its own right and deserves a larger audience than its scant release would have indicated. Jason Clark, All Movie Guide

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