Saturday, February 17, 2007

Saturday Night at The Movies

This week's movie is one you can't buy or rent. You won't see it in the picturehouse and probably would miss it when it is rarely shown on TV.
Panthergirl - I checked; it isn't on Netflix either.........don't be misled by the Falk film, it's not that one!

I have a copy on video, as I casually videoed it one night because it has one of my fave actors in it. Now that video is one of my prized possessions, 'cos I can't get this film anywhere else.

What is this rare film? Roommates, starring Eric Stoltz, Randy Quaid and Elizabeth Pena. In my modest opinion, as far as AIDS films go, this beats Philadelphia hands down (sorry, Tom!).


Stoltz and Quaid play two men who have contracted AIDS. One, a gay man, was infected during casual sex, the other, a heterosexual man, was infected by a blood transfusion. Pena, who runs the AIDS hostel, puts the two men in the same apartment, thinking they will have a benefit on each other.

This is a disturbing insight into life with AIDS. It is frank and unapologetic. There is no drastic loss of weight by the main players, they rely on their incredible acting skills to convey the physical debilitation of a terminal illness, not to mention the heartache and fear.

In the middle of all this heartbreak, the two men bond and develop a deep and honest friendship, which lasts up to and beyond death. Out of necessity, the men learn to depend on each other and to reveal their deepest darkest fears.

And the final kicker? This is not only a true story, but a privately financed film by the parents and family of one of the men.

cq

12 comments:

Fizzy said...

I have never heard of this film. I was very moved by Philidelphia when I watched that. However knowing that this is a true story validates it

Panthergirl said...

I hope it's on Netflix. I found "Philadelphia" to be completely unrealistic and pollyanna. My best friend died of AIDS in the first wave, and believe me...his family did not embrace him and accept him, even in death. They told everyone he had "meningitis" and propped up his wedding photo (he married my other best friend when they were teenagers, before he came out) on top of his casket.

Thanks for the tip.

carmilevy said...

Thanks for recommending this film. So often, it's the smaller films, the ones that get no attention from the broader market, that are the most significant.

I'll watch for it here in the Great White North. Surely, there must be some forward thinking distributors who carry it.

OldLady Of The Hills said...

WOW! This sounds fantastic CQ...I have to research this out and see where I might be able to get a copy of this. I bever saw it! And I like all three actors very very much.
It is rare to see a really GOOD film about AIDS thatr is honest and forthright.

Anonymous said...

I make it unanimous in never hearing of it but it sounds good.

chosha said...

Eric Stoltz has made so many good movies and so many more I haven't seen. Very frustrating. This one sounds good, but I do wonder if I'll ever get to see it.

Jean-Luc Picard said...

Sounds like you have a rare movie that should be shown more.

Michele sent me here.

CyberKitten said...

Made for TV movie - which is why its not readily available I guess - made in 1994. Directed by Alan Metzger and written by Robert W. Lenski.

Carli N. Wendell said...

Interesting. . . wonder if it's on YOUTUBE or anything.

I watched Philadelphia last week and was amazed at how a movie only 14 years old can be such an artifact--an important one, but not relevant to today at all. It's amazing how the 30-year history of this horrible disease has moved at such a fast pace, from the terror and ignorance of the early 80s to the social consciousness of the 90s to the life-saving treatments of today. I worry that today's youth will never know the havoc this virus wreaked--and continues to wreak--in America and abroad. AIDS is no longer a death sentence in this country, but it's no fun taking dozens of pills a day either--pills with dangerous side effects, pills whose long-term effectiveness over the course of not years but decades is not yet known.

Panthergirl said...

Hey, thanks for letting me know about Netflix. I'll see if I can download it someplace.

utenzi said...

I never saw that movie, CQ, but I really like Eric Stoltz.

Anonymous said...

Hi
I came across this whilst looking for a copy of the film roommates.

i to think it was one of the best films i have ever seen and had a copy which i lent to someone who lent it to someone who never returned it.

i will keep trying to find it because it is my no 1 film