A Normal Sob-fest

My reflection on HBO’s The Normal Heart

Most of you know “The Normal Heart” as the reason there was no new episode of “Game of Thrones” on Sunday — the reason we did not see the fallout from Littlefinger’s fallout!!

For those of you who have not heard by now, “The Normal Heart” is based on the play of the same name. The story takes place in the early ‘80s over the course of three years in NYC, during the rise of the AIDS epidemic. Needless to say, the film left a wreckage inside my chest. The central characters are a group of gay men who are mad as hell!!!..and they’re not going to take it any more! They are sick of watching their dear, and talented friends pass away in the prime of their lives. It’s about building awareness around a disease that at the time, was only afflicting the gay male community, and the world was not very progressive when it came to overcoming homophobia.

Mark Ruffalo is the lead fighter, and he truly embraced the role. He plays a writer, who is exceptionally outspoken in his approach to gay rights activism. One of my favourite lines of dialogue is when Jim Parson’s character advises Ruffalo be less of a “drama queen”.

Julia Roberts plays Dr. Emma Brookner, an early HIV/AIDS researcher. A childhood case of polio rendered her a paraplegic. She’s rough around the edges, but has enormous empathy for her patients.

Matt (the beautiful) Bomer can now join the ranks of the McConaughey’s & Leto’s of American cinema, for he shed 40pounds for the role (http://goo.gl/Afx8ts). And he was spectacular.

Jim Parsons, who reprised the same role he played on Broadway, and quite frankly, he stole the show. His character was compassionate & cheeky, a far cry from America’s favourite geek, Dr. Sheldon Cooper.

The ranty script and absence of any tertiary characters did make the film feel very stagy. It is a story of love, loss and a fight for basic human recognition. If you are not moved by “The Normal Heart”, you need to find your nearest stethoscope and ensure you have a pulse. When all is said and done, you can’t not watch Mark Ruffalo. You just can’t.