December 1 is World AIDS Day (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). Its goal is to educate people around the world about this disease and show solidarity with those who suffer from it.
AIDS was first diagnosed in the first half of the 1980s. And already in the second half of that decade, films about this disease began to be released regularly. Pictures on this topic often received prestigious awards, won the recognition of millions and, thus, broke stereotypes in society in relation to HIV/AIDS patients.
BPM (Beats Per Minute) (2017)
The plot of the picture unfolds in the early 1990s in the French capital. Activists of the Act-Up Paris organization are holding actions against society’s indifference to AIDS patients. A boy named Nathan joins this organization and, together with other young people, begins to spread information about the disease. Soon he meets an attractive young activist named Sean. A romance breaks out between the boys. However, due to an incurable disease, their relationship does not last very long.
“120 beats per minute” became one of the brightest films about AIDS in recent years. The picture collected four prizes at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as several dozen awards from other film forums.
Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
An electrician from Texas named Ron Woodruff is hospitalized, where he is diagnosed with AIDS. The man cannot believe the doctor’s words, because he is sure that this disease is transmitted only among homosexuals. And Ron is a real cowboy. When he is finally convinced that he really has AIDS, he begins to look for all kinds of treatment methods. Woodruff soon meets a doctor who offers illegal drugs. Together with his unfortunate brother, a transsexual Rayon, Ron sets up a scheme to illegally supply these drugs to the United States. The plot of the film is based on real events.
Actors of key roles Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto received acting “Oscars“, “Golden Globes” and a number of other prestigious awards for this film.
Philadelphia (1993)
Experienced attorney Andrew Beckett is fired from a large law firm. Management explains its decision by the fact that this employee is incompetent. However, the real reason for Andrew’s dismissal is that he has AIDS and his colleagues are afraid to work with him. Beckett decides to prove that it was the disease, and not his unprofessionalism, that was the real reason for the dismissal.
This plot is based on a real story that happened in 1987 with lawyer Jeffrey Bowers. The main role in the film was played by Tom Hanks, who won an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a Silver Bear at the Berlinale. Denzel Washington and Antonio Banderas also starred in the film.
Gia (1998)
The film is dedicated to the fate of the top model Gia Karanji. She became the first famous woman to publicly announce that she had AIDS. The tape showed the life of the main character from the moment when she, as a girl, worked behind the counter in her father’s diner, and until the time when she began to regularly appear on the covers of prestigious magazines.
Actress Angelina Jolie refused to shoot in this film several times, because the fate of Gia reminded the actress in many ways of her own life. As a result, Jolie received a “Golden Globe” for this tape.
The Cure (1995)
The creators of this tape wanted to destroy the stereotype that only drug addicts or people with non-traditional sexual orientation can get AIDS. The picture is dedicated to the 13-year-old boy Eric. One day he met his neighbor named Dexter, who constantly sits at home. He rarely went out because he had AIDS. Dexter contracted the disease after a failed blood transfusion. Eric was trying to find a cure for his friend. In order for Dexter not to tire quickly during games and walks, Eric fed him candy and also brewed potions from plants growing near a nearby stream. As a result, the friends decided to go on a trip to another city together.
It’s My Party (1996)
A young gay man, Nick Stark, learns that he has AIDS and decides to commit suicide. At the same time, he was diagnosed with another serious illness. In this regard, Nick organizes a big party to say goodbye to his family and friends. One of the guests is the boyfriend of the main character named Brandon.
The Normal Heart (2014)
The film transports the viewer to New York of the 1980s. Several homosexuals suffer from an unknown disease that completely destroys their immune system. However, the general public has nothing to do with this problem. Among themselves, the characters of the film begin to call this ailment gay cancer. For fear of getting infected, hospital staff do not enter the ward of men suffering from this unresearched disease. At the same time, activists are trying to reach the government in order to change society’s attitude to this disease.
Mark Ruffalo, Julia Roberts and Matt Bomer played key roles in the film. The latter received the “Golden Globe” for this picture. And the director of the drama was Ryan Murphy, wellknown by the films Eat, Pray, Love and American Horror Story.
Longtime Companion (1989)
The fates of several New York homosexuals in the 1980s pass through the picture. It was then that scientists first diagnosed AIDS as a separate disease. The picture shows how a cheerful company of friends disintegrates over the years due to an incurable disease. “Close friend” is called one of the first serious films that showed the drama of AIDS patients.
The performer of one of the main roles in “Close Friends” Bruce Davison received a “Golden Globe” for this film, and was also nominated for an “Oscar”.
And The Band Played On (1993)
The tape is dedicated to Dr. Don Francis, who became one of the first researchers of the disease, later called AIDS. Back in the second half of the 1970s, the doctor, on his own initiative, began to monitor the symptoms of many homosexuals who suffered from an unknown disease. Despite the fact that Francis tried in every way to draw the attention of colleagues and politicians to this disease, many did not believe in the deadly danger of HIV/AIDS.
A Home at the End of the World (2004)
The tape tells about the teenager Bobby Morrow, who lost his entire family. In this connection, he ends up in the family of his friend Jonathan. One night, the boys enter into an intimate relationship. However, this experience becomes just a teenage experiment for them. Soon the friends have to part. After that, they meet after many years in New York. At that time, Jonathan is already an open homosexual and lives with an extravagant girl named Claire. Bobby moves into their apartment and something like a love triangle develops between the heroes of the tape. Jonathan realizes that he is in love with his childhood friend, and Claire wants a child with Bobby. True, their relationship is complicated by the fact that Jonathan has AIDS.
The main roles in the film are played by Colin Farrell, Robin Wright, Dallas Roberts and Sissy Spacek.