Ben & Arthur centers around a gay couple dealing with prejudice and efforts to get married. The film puts sexual identity at the heart of the plot, and themes of discrimination and acceptance clearly drive the narrative, even overshadowing character depth or nuance at times. While the film’s technical failings get most of the attention, its ideological priorities are clear.

Traditional values like religion and family are positioned as antagonistic or backward, especially through the villainization of a religious brother character. The story repeatedly contrasts gay love as pure and traditional religion as oppressive, which is typical of the era’s more heavy-handed approaches.

Viewpoints are split starkly between the sympathetic gay protagonists and hyper-villainized religious or traditional characters. Those with alternative cultural or moral views are generally portrayed as hostile or extreme, with little sincere engagement or complexity.