Year of Release: 2014
Director: Ryan Murphy
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer, Taylor Kitsch, Jim Parsons, Joe Mantello, Julia Roberts, Alfred Molina, BD Wong, Stephen Spinella, Jonathan Groff, Sean Meehan, Adam B. Shapiro, Finn Wittrock, Denis O'Hare, Corey Stoll, Frank De Julio, William DeMeritt
Genre: Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
Watch it on Amazon
Synopsis and Review:
Prolific writer/producer/director Ryan Murphy followed his big budget adaptation of the Elizabeth Gilbert book "Eat, Pray, Love" with this adaptation of the play by celebrated author and activist, Larry Kramer. Originally written in 1985, the film follows the story of Ned Weeks (a fictionalized version of Larry Kramer), who in the early 80s is already known and celebrated as a writer, and who is openly gay. As the film starts, Ned is traveling to Fire Island in order to celebrate the birthday of one of his good friends. The film starts chronicling the evolution of the AIDS virus in the early 80s, before it was identified as such, and how public authorities denied any assistance and even acknowledgement of the virus which was eradicating such large numbers of young men. Ned witnesses this, and as his shock and fury increase, the response of his friends and co-activists doesn't echo his sentiments and approach. Things get worse, when Ned's partner, Felix, is diagnosed with the virus, and Ned has to witness his rapid decay, without being able to do much for his assistance.
"The Normal Heart" is a powerful film that depicts the harsh realities of what was living with AIDS in the early 80s, particularly in New York, and particularly surrounding the stigma of the ailment, and the lack of support most medical facilities and activists had when it came to helping those in need. It's a film that covers some of the same subject matters that Norman René captured so perfectly in "Longtime Companion", Roger Spottiswoode captured in "And The Band Played On" and even Jonathan Demme did with "Philadelphia". What's so specific about "The Normal Heart" is the way it captures Ned Weeks' incessant pursuit of acknowledgement, his cry-outs for attention, for everyone to focus and pay attention to an epidemic that is rapidly killing thousands of gay men. What's also interesting about the film, is that the characters are not portrayed sanctimoniously - everyone on the group of characters surrounding Ned are deeply human, flawed and at times, exasperating (much like Ned himself). It's a film that is ambitious, but manages to deftly capture the reality of what was living with such a destructive ailment in the early 80s, at a time when the government and all institutions refused to acknowledge not just the virus, but most importantly, the people suffering from it. The performances from the entire cast are uniformly great, with highlights going to the stupendous Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer, Alfred Molina, Jim Parsons and Julia Roberts. A good film worth watching and revisiting.
"The Normal Heart" is a powerful film that depicts the harsh realities of what was living with AIDS in the early 80s, particularly in New York, and particularly surrounding the stigma of the ailment, and the lack of support most medical facilities and activists had when it came to helping those in need. It's a film that covers some of the same subject matters that Norman René captured so perfectly in "Longtime Companion", Roger Spottiswoode captured in "And The Band Played On" and even Jonathan Demme did with "Philadelphia". What's so specific about "The Normal Heart" is the way it captures Ned Weeks' incessant pursuit of acknowledgement, his cry-outs for attention, for everyone to focus and pay attention to an epidemic that is rapidly killing thousands of gay men. What's also interesting about the film, is that the characters are not portrayed sanctimoniously - everyone on the group of characters surrounding Ned are deeply human, flawed and at times, exasperating (much like Ned himself). It's a film that is ambitious, but manages to deftly capture the reality of what was living with such a destructive ailment in the early 80s, at a time when the government and all institutions refused to acknowledge not just the virus, but most importantly, the people suffering from it. The performances from the entire cast are uniformly great, with highlights going to the stupendous Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer, Alfred Molina, Jim Parsons and Julia Roberts. A good film worth watching and revisiting.
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