Indie Gems: Longtime Companion

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Did you hear?

David (Bruce Davison) and Sean (Mark Lamos) are a long time couple inviting their friends over at their beach house for the weekend. There's Willy (Campbell Scott) and John, (Dermot Mulroney) Howard, (Patrick Cassidy) a soap star on a show that Sean is a screenwriter for. Willy's friends Lisa (Mary Louise Parker) and Fuzzy (Stephen Caffrey) who is also Howard's lawyer. And finally Paul (John Dossett) a business executive. The year is 1981, and they are talking about the "gay cancer" that the newspapers are talking about in regards to AIDS. While not all are overly concerned at the moment, the film takes us through 1989 as AIDS changes from something they've read about, to something that effects them personally.

I've had this in my Netflix queue for ages. This is (I believe) one of the first films to deal with the AIDS crisis head on like this. At times it feels very dated and even stereotypical (that music and those beach scenes..) but it has a lot of heart. It flows very smoothly through its chapters. I believe what caused me to throw this in my queue in the first place was watching The Normal Heart or Dallas Buyers Club and looking for similar films. It's really hard for me to describe how I felt about this film compared to the others. The horrors of AIDS is still very predominant, but somehow this film seems lighter in tone. Which makes zero sense because this was riskier for the time it was made, but it feels less harsh.

The acting is very good.Stephen Caffrey gave one of my favorite performances of the film. Davison was Oscar nominated for his role, he's easily the stand out. It feels like a big deal too when you see how small this film started. It had a budget of about a million. Shot in about a month, started in a few theaters but eventually got a wide release, unheard of for this type of film. 

This is a film that definitely won't be leaving my mind any time soon.

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "You can go." - David (Bruce Davison)

Comments

  1. DanielFebruary 5, 2016 at 8:21 AM

    One of my favorites. And the start of my Dermot Mulroney lust.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamFebruary 5, 2016 at 2:01 PM

      He wasn't in this nearly as much as I thought he was going to be, but his small amount of screen time made it count. (Especially when you see him again at the end. That was so sad)

      Delete
  2. AnonymousFebruary 5, 2016 at 2:56 PM

    Very good film. The closing song, Post Mortem Bar, is so moving.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamFebruary 6, 2016 at 7:54 AM

      The ending itself is so moving. It makes me sad thinking about it.

      Delete
  3. JoshFebruary 8, 2016 at 5:53 AM

    A good little film, for sure. It's great that Davison managed to get an Oscar nomination as well. Glad you liked it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamFebruary 8, 2016 at 4:57 PM

      It's awesome he was able to snag one. This film probably had a lot working against it back then.

      Delete

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