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Thought to be one of the first films to depict the AIDS epidemic, this film released in 1985 is a moving and realistic portrait of what it was like to be around the gay community living with the disease in New York in the mid 1980s.
It centres around a young guy David (David Schachter) who volunteers in a hospice to help care for Robert (Geoff Edholm who with make up on looks like across between Klaus Kinski and Willem Defoe!) who is dying of AIDS. At first the two men don't particularly get on but as time grows, so does their bond and eventually they become like two mini soul mates relying on each other for support. They swap stories of their experiences and the audience gets to hear their stories, there is even a comedy element when David brings Robert some top shelf VHS tapes to help him pass the time.
Despite the low production values and TV-Movie quality, it just works because we are in their world and there are no factors to distract us. The only faces we see in the film are the two characters. Everyone else is behind a shower curtain or on the telephone or has their back to the camera. It's a technique that is perfect for the film.
The 80 minute running time feels right and it's not too short. The ending is predictably emotional but sensitive and very deftly directed. It's additionally moving to learn that director Arthur Bressan and Geoff Edholm both actually died of AIDS shortly after the film was completed.
7.9/10
'Buddies' (1985)
Dir.: Arthur Bressan
Dir.: Arthur Bressan
Thought to be one of the first films to depict the AIDS epidemic, this film released in 1985 is a moving and realistic portrait of what it was like to be around the gay community living with the disease in New York in the mid 1980s.
It centres around a young guy David (David Schachter) who volunteers in a hospice to help care for Robert (Geoff Edholm who with make up on looks like across between Klaus Kinski and Willem Defoe!) who is dying of AIDS. At first the two men don't particularly get on but as time grows, so does their bond and eventually they become like two mini soul mates relying on each other for support. They swap stories of their experiences and the audience gets to hear their stories, there is even a comedy element when David brings Robert some top shelf VHS tapes to help him pass the time.
Despite the low production values and TV-Movie quality, it just works because we are in their world and there are no factors to distract us. The only faces we see in the film are the two characters. Everyone else is behind a shower curtain or on the telephone or has their back to the camera. It's a technique that is perfect for the film.
The 80 minute running time feels right and it's not too short. The ending is predictably emotional but sensitive and very deftly directed. It's additionally moving to learn that director Arthur Bressan and Geoff Edholm both actually died of AIDS shortly after the film was completed.
7.9/10