Provokr Pick: Fantastic Beasts
Jude Law and Johnny Depp: Bitter Wizard Exes
In 2007, at a reading of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, author J.K. Rowling was asked whether or not Albus Dumbledore, the wise headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, would ever find love. She responded, “Dumbledore is gay.” While the book series and subsequent film adaptations were criticized by some for not containing any explicit mentions of his sexuality, the seed was sown for the future. Finally, it looks like Rowling’s statement is set to finally pay off in the Fantastic Beasts film series, beginning with this sequel, The Crimes of Grindelwald.
A prequel spin-off of the Harry Potter saga, Fantastic Beasts is shaping up to be a five-part epic, telling the story of young Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) and his best rival/bitter friend, the villainous Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp), a wizarding anarchist. Their story is relayed through the lens of protagonist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), an eccentric Hufflepuff and specialist in the realm of supernatural creatures, the titular Fantastic Beasts.
The big fear among more progressive fans of the wizarding world created by J.K. Rowling is that the relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald will be pushed deep into the background, and their sexuality confined to the realm of subtext and inference, a situation which certainly wouldn’t be the case if Grindelwald were a woman. However, upon viewing the film, most fans agree: Dumbledore and Grindelwald are super gay.
No, they don’t make out or declare their love for each other whilst shirtless and wearing leather pants in the rain, but they unambiguously hold hands and have a strongly obvious romantic connection, leaving little room for alternative interpretations. On the other hand, even an unambiguous portrayal like this still falls short of what many fans were hoping for, but there’s still three more films left in the series to further explore this storyline.
In a way, the gay relationship between Grindelwald and Dumbledore resembles a straight relationship from the old-timey days of Hollywood’s Hays Code, in which characters were not allowed to be overtly sexual with one another, leading to filmmakers finding ways of expressing romantic lust through more imaginative means, using symbolism and other cinematic techniques to create more intense relationships than if characters were simply allowed to just outright state their sexuality.
While queer themes are a major part of Fantastic Beasts, it’s important to remember that it’s only one part of this sprawling epic of magic, wizards, and unique creatures. The series is set in the 1920s, and the production takes full advantage of its unique setting, creating a visual tapestry which arguably surpasses the standards set by the original Harry Potter films, and that’s not even taking into account the impossible beauty of Eddie Redmayne, who might just be the prettiest boy ever… And Ezra Miller, who is arguably the second-prettiest boy ever, right after Redmayne.
Even for people who skipped out on the entire Harry Potter saga, Fantastic Beasts is not to be missed. The new series, set many decades before the original Harry Potter stories, is a perfect place for newcomers to jump in, and thrives on being a completely original tale as much as it is a prequel to the lore adored by fans all over the world. Plus, it’s got Johnny Depp sporting a slick Billy Idol haircut! We’re sold.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, is in theaters now.
