Top 3 films about the HIV/AIDS crisis

Since the arrival of channel 4’s highly acclaimed television series ‘It’s a Sin’ it has once again placed the HIV/AIDS crisis back out at the forefront of conscious thought for people of all walks of life. Reflecting on the tragedy of the situation in the 1980’s and its development into the 1990’s, the depiction of HIV/AIDS when done right has the power to invoke real emotion, but more importantly change perceptions of the terrible stigma associated with the disease. Here are 3 films that changed the way that HIV/AIDS was perceived by the general public and the stigma and injustice associated with it.

3. And the Band Played On (1993) Dir. Roger Spottiswoode 

And the Band Played On is the film adaptation of the book by the late Randy Shilts, an openly gay journalist and author who fought to change public perceptions about the AIDS crisis. And the Band Played On documents the HIV/AIDS crisis from the early beginnings to the subsequent epidemic that grew thanks to government mismanagement and widespread homophobia. Highlighting the political infighting that hampered any kind of progress in finding treatment, leading to the deaths of millions of people all over the world.

And the Band Played On was released in 1993, a time where treatments for HIV/AIDS had somewhat improved, but nowhere near at the level they are today. In the present day, most people only need to take one pill, compared to the cocktail of drugs necessary back in the 1990’s to suppress the HIV virus. The one thing that hasn’t changed enough since 1993 is the stigma that still plagues the people who are HIV positive. The virus itself is no longer the killer, it’s the stigma associated with it. And the Band Played On wrestles with a stigma fuelled by homophobia and ignorance from working-class citizens all the way to the most important government officials. The HIV/AIDS crisis was an epidemic that spiralled out of control thanks to the gross mismanagement of the governments who were supposed to be protecting the people. 

As the film displays the governments incompetence in dealing with AIDS, it also highlights the problems within the gay community itself that allowed the epidemic to flourish further. From Promiscuous behaviours dismissive of the warnings, to closeted homosexuals whose secret lives had devastating effects on their family life, And the Band Played On emphasizes what truly was a recipe for disaster. Shilts’ eye opening book stresses how the government were far too passive in allowing gay men and intravenous drug users to die. As soon as haemophiliacs and ‘normal’ straight people started contracting and subsequently dying from AIDS, it finally forced the government to act. It was too late.

The key takeaway from And the Band Played On comes from one of the many HIV+ characters fighting to make their lives relevant to the people who refuse to help them. The man states – “This is not a gay issue. This is a human issue. And I do not intend to be defeated by it. I came here today in the hope that my epitaph would not read that I died of red tape." The political infighting, money motivated decision making and widespread homophobia that plagued the crisis was plain to see for anyone who wanted to open their eyes. And the Band Played On certainly opened mine. 

2. Dallas Buyers Club (2013) Dir. Jean-Marc Vallee

In most films we talk about character development, how a flawed person at the beginning of a film becomes a more rounded, better person in the resolution of a story. Dallas Buyers Club is a great example of strong character development with Ron Woodruff (played exceptionally by Matthew McConaughey) as a rodeo, sex addict who becomes afflicted with HIV in 1985, something he considered a ‘gay disease’ only. Ron possesses deep routed personality traits of toxic masculinity and homophobia which leave him unable to accept his life changing illness. Exiled from his likeminded friends and told he has 30 days to live, Ron Woodruff goes on a journey first of all to prolong his life, but secondly to become a healthier human being in general.

1985 arrived with the supposed breakthrough of AZT, the first drug approved to treat AIDS. However, with damaging side effects and a lack of validity, the drug only proved to be positive for the pharmaceutical companies in the end. Ron Woodruff battles with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in a fight to be able to decide what goes into his body, not the FDA. Ron explores the world of new effective treatments that aren’t yet approved, buying, and selling to fellow AIDS sufferers in the organisation that became the Dallas Buyers Club. Working with the eccentric transsexual Rayon (played by Jared Leto) Ron opens his eyes to the desperate world of AIDS in 1980’s America. As Ron self-medicates and changes his lifestyle, he continues to prove everyone wrong, even himself. 

Few films have captured the fear, stigma and crisis period that was AIDS in the 1980’s. Dallas Buyers Club displays the human issues that came with AIDS back when it was a death sentence. Humans with hopes and dreams dashed, simply finding a way to survive each day as their body slowly loses the battle against the parasite that lives within. Remarkably HIV wasn’t the only thing killing Ron, it was his bigoted views that left them hard to like at first. His friendship with Rayon is both unlikely and charming, Rayon is probably the most heart-breaking character with her life fading away, she had finally become the person she wanted to be, but AIDS stole the life that she wanted to lead. Nevertheless, Rayon did inadvertently save Ron, he managed to change his values and treat people by their worth not the stereotypes that are associated with them.

What’s even more satisfying about Dallas Buyers Club is that Ron Woodruff was a real case study of the time, a bigoted man who proved everybody wrong and turned it all around. Also allowing us to question the Public Health officials who place profit before the lives of the people, as touched upon in And the Band Played On. A committed effort from all of the actors, strong direction and a perfectly structured script, Dallas Buyers Club isn’t only a brilliant depiction of HIV/AIDS, but one of the best films to come out of the 21^st century so far. 

1. Philadelphia (1993) Dir. Jonathan Demme 

Jonathan Demme’s highly acclaimed Philadelphia is without a doubt the pinnacle of cinema that features HIV/AIDS. Landing an academy award for Tom Hanks as Andrew Beckett, the hotshot lawyer stricken with the debilitating disease that leaves his professional career in shreds, abandoned by the mentors he once thought so highly of. Philadelphia was revolutionary as it appealed to such a wide range of audiences, yes, this film is about AIDS, but it is also about justice and essentially good and evil. What side do you fall on? Andrew Beckett, dying with AIDS is relieved from his duties at the law firm he once called home, told superficially that his unsatisfactory work was the reason for his dismissal, knowing truly that it was because he had AIDS.

As brilliant as Hanks is, the film would not be the same without Denzel Washington as Joe Miller, the only lawyer who reluctantly decided to represent Andrew in the justice case against his former employees. Through Joe, the mainstream audience is able to go on a journey of redemption through his eyes. A man built on traditional values, who sets aside his own morals in favour of helping someone who has been wronged, representing what justice is all about. Joe Miller is a man who goes on a journey of acceptance and openness to find empathy in a person who he at first, finds no motivation to become involved in. In turn understanding the ‘Essence of Discrimination’ in his own words – “This is the essence of discrimination: formulating opinions about others not based on their individual merits, but rather on their membership in a group with assumed characteristics.”

Along with Hanks’ Academy Award triumph, Philadelphia also excelled in it’s ground-breaking soundtrack, winning the best original song with Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Streets of Philadelphia’. As Bruce took the acclaim, it was Neil Young’s ‘Philadelphia’ that resonated most with the experience of AIDS and took the score to another level. Playing over the final scene with Andrew as a young boy, the music powerfully represents hope, innocence but an overwhelming sadness. A young boy with hopes and dreams, who lived his life to the fullest of potential right until the end. Every time Neil Young’s ‘Philadelphia’ begins you can’t help but reflect and well up with emotion.

With Philadelphia released in 1993, as previously mentioned the treatments for HIV were slowly but surely improving, offering new ways to supress the virus, but for many it was still a death sentence. Who knows what impact Philadelphia may have had in changing public opinion and finding more widespread support for research into the crisis? No one will know, but one thing is certain that the film put AIDS into the mainstream. It made the crisis relevant not just for the gay community, but for everyone. The stigma for HIV/AIDS is still alive but with more awareness, understanding and humanity, we can all go a long way in making HIV something of the past, not our future.