Having not seen any of the nominees that year, I'm
going to agree that it silly that BPM didn't make the cut for the
Foreign Film Oscar a couple years ago. It's a good movie, and I struggle to see
how the five nominated films are all better.
I am a little mixed on the movie though. I'm a huge
fan of the Act Up movement stuff. I would've been fine if the entire movie was
those meetings the characters frequently attend. It's a great exposition
delivery device and it gives the spotlight to the planning, not the protests
themselves. It's easy to see a protest and be cynical about it. It's harder
when you know the planning and strategy behind it. I love the different
factions for different meetings and the struggle to balance the rage everyone
felt with the organization's need for restraint in order to get anything done.
This is a long movie. I knew going in exactly where
it was going. I get why too. The movie is about AIDS in its most lethal period
for the gay community*. It would be disingenuous for a major character not to
die. Personally though, my interest in Sean and Nathan's relationship paled in
comparison to my interest in the actions of the Act Up group, so when the last
30 minutes shifted so hard to Sean's last days, I felt the run time a lot more.
*Someone correct me if I'm wrong. My impression is
that it's gone down since public awareness increased and moved beyond the
perception that it was a "gay disease", but I don't know the numbers.
Verdict: Weakly Recommend
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