The Normal Heart (2014)

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Fresh and Exciting

Fantastic!

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

While watching this movie,one word kept lingering in my mind over and over again---"Helpless". Why should all these happened?Why them? The story traces back to late last century,about 1980s',when the homosexual relationship was just accepted by the society,an unknown disease spread among young people in New York,mostly gays. At first,it didn't draw much attention from their own,but as people who got this disease kept dying ,the little "problem" turned to a plague.It was contagious and would cause a total paralysis in human's immune system,once you got this,there was nothing between you and death.It was only a question of time.The group of homo got panic,they didn't know what they should do.They turned to government for help,but all they got in return was endless delay and reply of "no",all their proposal of medical help and research funding were objected.The leading role in this movie named Ned,who was a writer also as a homo guy,decided to fight back,he founded the G.M.H.C(Gay man's health crisis)to help the patient,to raise more money for finding the cure of this horrible disease.He fought against government every single day calling for the attention from the powers.But they never took it seriously, they chose to ignore it intentionally.Ned watched his friends died one by one.Even his own partner,the true love of his life was struck down by this disease too.He did all his best to hold him back but in vain eventually.until 2 years later,President Reagon mentioned the AIDS publicly for the first time, made the AIDS research a "top priority".But it was too late for Ned,as well as too many young men whose life had been taken. Why did all the tragedy have to happen?Why didn't the society do something beforehand?The answer is very simple in deed.In a funeral of Ned's friend,there was such a speech "I keep screaming inside,why are they letting us die?and here is the truth,they just don't like us".I can't help recalling one of my favorite movie"A single man"(also referred to homosexuality).It says there is no hate without a cause,the cause is fear.People always fear things which they don't understand,people who are different from themselves,we may say as"minority",that fear is why the minority is persecuted.But minority is just people,people like us.It's so unfair to treat them differently.Don't they deserve our respect?Or don't they even deserve to live on?Being minority is hard,they must be strong enough to care less about other's opinion,but in their deep heart all they want is to be accepted by others,to be treated like normal people.After all,no one is actually same as anyone else,everyone is "minority".So is there any decent reason that we despite ourselves?

This is without any doubt the best (semi-)biopic I've seen in years. Maybe because it felt like a very personal movie, but that's not the only reason. Mark Ruffalo is probably one of my favorite actors and for some reason it took Hollywood years to give the man the acting jobs he deserves. As Ned Weeks (who's actually a fictitious Larry Kramer - written by Larry Kramer) Ruffalo finally proves himself an actor who manages to get under your skin. While this movie reminded me of the miniseries Angels in America and the documentary Sex Positive, it certainly comes out as one of the best films concerning gay topics in a long time (apart from Pride, which is probably one of my favorite pictures about homosexuals ever). With incredibly strong speeches from Ruffalo, but also Taylor Kitsch, Joe Mantello (goosebumps!), Julia Roberts and Jim Parsons, this is a very actor-driven feature. Probably because it originally is a theater play. Although The Normal Heart sometimes is a bit too sentimental, it never bothered me due to the fantastic writing and dialogue. In a time that was emotionally devastating, everyone tried to cope with the new situation in their own way. Some people are more sanguineous than others and that makes social relations hard, even impossible in some cases. On the other hand everyone tries to find love, tries to be appreciated and cared for, even the most spirited and loud of all. The Normal Heart is a film with a heart, a lot of pathos, layered characters, top notch acting and superior dialogue-writing. HBO did it again.

Will there be a better summing-up of the early years of AIDS from a New York perspective? I'm pretty sure, No. I find this better than Angels in America, because AA tried awfully hard for poetry. My friends died young. It was not poetic. The Normal Heart is a tough movie, not real poetic. Not for everyone. The message is most vividly imparted by the main character (gay), his older brother and a doctor (both hetero): When your community is in crisis (especially!), don't wait to become perfect. Don't hope and wait for everyone's acceptance and approval. Do what needs to be done. Yes, this movie is flawed. It's also honest and important. If you're at all interested in the early 80s AIDS crisis you must see The Normal Heart.

It's 1981 and gay men are enjoying their sexual freedom. Only more and more of them are dying. Nobody knows what the cause is. Ned Weeks (Mark Ruffalo) is a writer. Ben (Alfred Molina) is his brother. Dr. Emma Brookner (Julia Roberts) is advocating for gay men to stop having sex. Felix Turner (Matt Bomer) is the NY Times writer who usually does fluff pieces. Bruce Niles (Taylor Kitsch) and Tommy Boatwright (Jim Parsons) are some of the people in the gay community.The first 30 minutes is more thrilling and more compelling than any overblown action. The scenes of people trying to figure out what to do are the best. It's exciting. It's also scary like a horror movie. The romance between Weeks and Turner is the weakest part of the movie. There is a big epidemic and the love story diminishes it. For some reason, I'm reminded of Michael Bay's Pearl Habor. The world is changing and I rather have the movie concentrate on the war, not the romance. I get more from Ned and his brother. I understand where they're going with the romance but it feels more like a waste of time. There are so many great scenes with great acting. Joe Mantello explodes on the screen. Taylor Kitsch retells an incredibly touching story. Julia Roberts overdoes it a little. Overall, there is a lot of great acting in a compelling historical drama.