Philip Ridley’s Vincent River is a stark reminder of the continued occurrences of hate crime and homophobic attacks in society. Drawing upon events of his youth and the murder of a friend in the 1980s, Ridley creates two characters trying to come to terms with a death which has resulted from homophobic violence: Anita – the mother of Vincent – and Davey – the young man who found Vincent’s body – talk through and share their stories, each trying to piece together the narrative of Vincent’s life and death. But throughout the exchange, there are certain truths that neither wants to hear.
