The Fruit Machine

The Fruit Machine, 1988 The Fruit Machine was a 1988 film, written by Liverpool-born Frank Clarke and directed by BAFTA-winner, Philip Saville. The film tells the story of two 16 year old gay best friends, Eddie, played by Emile Charles, and Michael, played by Tony Forsyth. The pair go on the run after witnessing the brutal gangland murder of a transvestite club host called Annabelle, played by Robbie Coltrane, at a gay show-bar called The Fruit Machine. The film deals with the themes of sexual ambiguity, loss of innocence, and shattered dreams as Michael has to offer sex to others to protect himself and Eddie from the killer who is pursuing them, whilst making sure that Eddie never finds out. The film follows the two young men as they leave 1980s Liverpool and go down to Brighton, teaming up with an animal rights activist before the film’s inevitably tragic finale.