It's a double whammy for a well-to-do family of so-called good breeding when they find out that their golden boy, Aidan Quinn, is not only gay, but has been diagnosed with HIV. This is back in 1985 when a diagnosis not only indicated certain death but could end jobs, destroy family ties and result in patients becoming homeless. Quinn has been suffering from pneumonia and is recuperating in his parents home, informed his parents (Gena Rowlands and Ben Gazzara) to different reactions. Rowlands is shocked but vows to remain supportive, and Gazzara is furious over the whole thing. But when Quinn has to be rushed to the hospital and the ambulance drivers refused when they realize he has AIDS, Gazzara changes his attitude, at least temporarily, but eventually comes closer to acceptance.
Then there's Quinn's loving grandmother, the feisty Sylvia Sidney who was angry over being lied to over her late husband's illness, and wants to share her grandson's dying just like she shared his life. She has several great moments that deservedly won her a Golden Globe. Not one to mince words, she suddenly lays into her son-in-law for his prejudices and then chose her grandson the depths of her love. Sydney Walsh, as Quinn's sister, seems loyal at first, but starts to back away out of fear for her baby.
Ex-lover D. W. Moffett comes back when Quinn becomes ill, creating a bond with the family, even Quinn' father. John Glover is excellent as a flamboyant gay man who has been ill for two years, and you get to see inside his soul past his campy bravado. This shows the fears of the medical industry during that time, with Quinn's doctor wise to the falseness of the fears of other staff, lunch in his question yet non-judgemental. The scene with the EMT's is particularly disturbing, but at least the film does show a few nurses who are not afraid of doing what they are being paid to do.
This was certainly a brave film for a time and deserved all the acclaim that it got, even though much would change in the next decade. There are a few minor weaknesses but all in all, this film goes down in history for taking on the then controversial subject and dealing with it honestly. Rowlands and Sidney win acting honors, although the ensemble is terrific. I don't think I would have ended this the way it concludes, and that is probably its main weakness.
Then there's Quinn's loving grandmother, the feisty Sylvia Sidney who was angry over being lied to over her late husband's illness, and wants to share her grandson's dying just like she shared his life. She has several great moments that deservedly won her a Golden Globe. Not one to mince words, she suddenly lays into her son-in-law for his prejudices and then chose her grandson the depths of her love. Sydney Walsh, as Quinn's sister, seems loyal at first, but starts to back away out of fear for her baby.
Ex-lover D. W. Moffett comes back when Quinn becomes ill, creating a bond with the family, even Quinn' father. John Glover is excellent as a flamboyant gay man who has been ill for two years, and you get to see inside his soul past his campy bravado. This shows the fears of the medical industry during that time, with Quinn's doctor wise to the falseness of the fears of other staff, lunch in his question yet non-judgemental. The scene with the EMT's is particularly disturbing, but at least the film does show a few nurses who are not afraid of doing what they are being paid to do.
This was certainly a brave film for a time and deserved all the acclaim that it got, even though much would change in the next decade. There are a few minor weaknesses but all in all, this film goes down in history for taking on the then controversial subject and dealing with it honestly. Rowlands and Sidney win acting honors, although the ensemble is terrific. I don't think I would have ended this the way it concludes, and that is probably its main weakness.