Drama
United States of America
Longtime Companion is a powerful and emotionally charged film that explores the early days of the AIDS epidemic in the United States. It tells the story of a group of friends, all of them gay men, who are living in New York City and are intimately connected to each other. The film begins in the early 1980s when the first few cases of what is then called "gay-related immune disorder" start to appear in the city. As the disease spreads and more of their friends and loved ones fall ill and die, the group struggles to come to terms with what is happening to them and to the world around them.
The film jumps back and forth between New York City and Fire Island, a popular gay vacation destination, and shows how the disease impacts both places in different ways. In the early days, many people in the gay community choose not to believe that AIDS is a serious threat, and the film shows how this denial and lack of action only leads to more suffering and death.
Longtime Companion is notable for its sensitive and realistic portrayal of the gay community during this time. It was one of the first mainstream films to deal with the AIDS epidemic and remains a poignant reminder of the toll the disease took on the LGBTQ+ community. The performances are outstanding, particularly from Bruce Davison, who was nominated for an Oscar for his role as a man who loses his partner to the disease. Overall, Longtime Companion is a moving and important film that deserves to be seen.
