The millennial generation, in particular ones who identify as LGBT, should be educated on the struggles that millions of gay people had to go through in the 1980's and 90's in order for them to have the life that they do. A big portion of what they should be taught is when AIDS was immensely prevalent in our lives, and how the government weren't doing that much (if anything) to prevent more of us from dying.
The film BPM (Beats Per Minute) showcases how a major group of people called ACT UP went above and beyond the call for the LGBT community and risked their lives in incredibly bold ways. Their reasoning is to get the attention of the government and the pharmaceutical companies who were sluggish on AIDS treatments as millions continued to die during that time period.
The film recently won four major awards at the Cannes Film Festival, including the Grand Prize of the Jury. It is in the French language, and stars Nahuel Perez Biscayart, Arnaud Valois and Adele Haenel as people living in Paris and who were members of ACT UP in the early 90's. Some of them are HIV-positive, who embrace their mission with a life-or-death urgency.
Throughout the film, you will see the group's met with a ton of resistance amidst rallies, fierce debats, arrests, protests, dance parties and so much more. There is even a bit of a love story between Nathan (Arnud Valois) and Sean (Nahuel Perez Biscayart) in it as well.
The film opened in Los Angeles yesterday, with plans on opening in other major cities over the upcoming weeks. For more information on those openings, click here.