Unless there's a different thread that I've not seen.. I am surprised there has been so little discussion about The Normal Heart which aired on HBO over the past month. Perhaps a lot of people have not had the opportunity to see it yet? (It'll be out on DVD in August)
I feel this film is so important to the gay community... a testament to what happened in the early 1980's in America when AIDS ravaged the gay male population in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and beyond. The suffering and loss were terrible but more importantly AIDS was a disease which the government/public labeled a disease of gay men and therefore not worthy of significant notice or funding for years. As horrible as AIDS is/was (it was literally a death sentence in the 80's) I think it did more to unite and galvanize the gay community in America more than anything before or after. Without AIDS and organizations like Gay Mens Health Crisis and Act Up I don't think the strides towards legalization of same sex marriage in the USA would be where it is now.
That being said, the performances in this film are outstanding... especially Mark Ruffalo and Matt Bomer. The chemistry and love between them is palpable and as much as I love BBM, The Normal Heart feels like the real thing to me. The scenes when Matt Bomer's character is sick and dying are heartbreakingly real... he lost 40 pounds for filming the latter half of the movie so that he could accurately portray a man dying of AIDS.
If you've not yet seen The Normal Heart, there are some great clips/videos on YouTube. I especially love the video titled: "The Normal Heart, I See You".... also, another "The Normal Heart, Feel". These music videos give away a lot of the movie's plot.. but I think they are beautiful
I hope you will view The Normal Heart when it becomes available where you live.