Making Love

Zack and Claire meet in college and quickly form a strong bond, sharing common tastes in music and poetry. They eventually marry and have been together for eight years, planning to start a family. The foundation of their life together is established through these early years.

As they settle into their careers in the early 1980s, Zack and Claire buy a big house with the intention of starting a family. They appear generally happy and focused on building a stable life together. The home symbolizes their commitment to a conventional future.

Zack begins to confront feelings for men, secretly visiting gay bars in West Hollywood and picking up men during lunch hours. He struggles to label his sexuality and hides his inner conflict from Claire. This internal tension foreshadows a deeper truth he has yet to acknowledge.

Bart McGuire, an openly gay novelist, comes to Zack for a medical check-up and sparks an undeniable connection. The encounter forces Zack to confront his emerging attraction to Bart. The two begin spending more time together beyond the doctor-patient relation.

Zack and Bart sleep together at Bart's house, marking Zack's first sexual experience with another man. He hopes to stay the night, but Bart brushes him off, highlighting barriers to intimacy. The moment deepens Zack's emotional confusion about his identity.

Zack asks Bart on a dinner date and lies to Claire about having to work late. They go to Bart's house, where the mood shifts from casual to emotionally charged. The encounter intensifies Zack's internal conflict about his sexuality and fidelity.

Claire worries about the growing distance in their marriage and seeks a year-long leave, but her boss promotes her and sends her to New York City for a weekend trip. Zack uses the opportunity to spend more time with Bart, though their dynamic remains volatile. The trip destabilizes the couple further.

That night in bed, Zack tells Bart that he loves him, revealing the depth of his feelings. Fearful of commitment and his own vulnerability, Bart pushes him away again the next morning. The moment crystallizes Bart's reluctance to enter a serious relationship.

Bart realizes he has genuine feelings for Zack but isn't ready for a commitment. He retreats into his own patterns, and the film next shows him as someone still cruising and avoiding deeper involvement. The unresolved tension leaves Zack yearning for a clearer path.

Claire returns from her trip and Zack confesses that he is attracted to men in addition to the affair with Bart. Claire reacts badly, recognizing the fracture in their marriage. Zack chooses to leave rather than continue living a lie.

Claire negotiates with Zack about their future, offering an open but honest discussion about his sexuality. Zack declares he cannot live a lie and informs Claire of a potential job opportunity in New York City working with cancer patients. The couple moves toward divorce as they acknowledge incompatible paths.

A few years pass and Winnie Bates dies, marking a turn in the characters' lives. Zack moves to New York and enters a committed relationship with another man, Ken. He returns to Los Angeles for Winnie’s funeral, reflecting on how his life has changed since the breakup.

Claire remarries an architect and has a young son, Rupert, continuing to build a life separate from Zack’s. Both characters find happiness in their own right, illustrating a peaceful coexistence after separation. The film shows their mutual support and acceptance of each other’s choices.

Throughout the film, Bart and Claire deliver direct-address monologues to the camera, sharing personal reflections on the scenes and their lives. These moments add a meta-textual layer, offering intimate insights beyond the on-screen dialogue. They serve as a reflective chorus to the narrative.