The Normal Heart

The Normal Heart

Starring Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer, Taylor Kitsch, Julia Roberts

Directed by Ryan Murphy

Synopsis:
It's 1981, and homosexuals are beginning to gain their own sense of identity, when a mysterious disease begins striking them dead.  Ned Weeks (Mark Ruffalo), an abrasive gay man with a fire in his belly, sets out to show the world what is happening to them, and how he feels the government doesn't care.  Together with his friend Bruce (Taylor Kitsch), he forms a gay activist group set out to help understand what this new disease is and how to stop it, along with the help of former polio victim Dr. Emma Brookner (Julia Roberts).  However, as Ned's overwhelming personality seems to cause more harm than good, it causes a rift in the organization and could hinder Ned's desire.

Review:
Based off a play of the same name written by Larry Kramer (who is the real life inspiration for Ned Weeks), "The Normal Heart" brings to harsh light the struggles of the homosexual community during a time where society saw them as less than human, not suitable for society and a plague on the world.  This gripping true story tells the tale of the struggles of the homosexual community during the early years of AIDS and how abandoned they felt by the government, science, and medicine. 

I was mildly interested in seeing the film because of all the accolades it received, but I felt I would be bored by it, but it ended up being quite the opposite.  I was moved by the powerful performances by some of the best film actors out there.  Mark Ruffalo's unflinching performance has rightfully earned him a Golden Globe nomination, as well as Julia Roberts' supporting role as the no-nonsense doctor who would stop at nothing to find out what is going on.  Some compelling supporting roles by Taylor Kitsch, Alfred Molina and Jim Parsons help drive the viewer into the story, but it comes down to Matt Bomer's terrific performance as Ned Weeks' boyfriend who we see at first as a young, fit, healthy male and witness his gradual disintegration as the disease takes control of him.  That performance alone is worth viewing, and everything else just adds to it.

Summary:
For centuries different groups of people have had their struggles.  African Americans, women, Jews, and in the early 80s it was the homosexual community that struggled to survive in a world that shunned them for being different. "The Normal Heart" shows the struggles they had to face, and in some ways, still have to face.

My Rating: A