The Normal Heart: Movie Analysis

       

"To win a war, you have to start one."

Today's opinions about the LGBTQ community still need improvement and openness, but compared to the 1980s, it is a far cry from how the members of this community are shunned and discriminated against, especially with the rise of AIDS which was a newfound disease during those times. The movie, "The Normal Heart", depicts just how people of those times fought with all their might for respect and survival, which then lead to the movement that would forever change the scene for the LGBTQ community.

Official Movie Poster: The Normal Heart

        On the surface, one will see the movie as about aids and how the gay community was being oppressed and intentionally ignored in our society. A community suffering from a disease asking for help from everyone, most especially from the government but is being intentionally ignored because of their sexual orientation. But... if you look deep enough — you'll realize that it is more than just a typical LGBTQ+-themed film.

        Ned Weeks, the main protagonist of the film and the one who actively fought for the rights of the gay community, has gone through a lot of trial and error when it comes to relationships; he tried being in a relationship with both men and women. He dreamed of love, yet he was lost until he found someone — Felix Turner, a much younger man who, just like Ned, has been through a lot of "trial and error"; married once and even has a son whom he was denied ever seeing. Felix obtained the disease but Ned didn't leave him. He stayed no matter how hard and hopeless the situation seemed. It's a story of love that formed amidst a global health concern, of finding one's voice and courage to fight what one believes is their right/s as a member of society. 

    Afterward, as the movie progresses and when the majority of the gay community found out about the disease which was most prevalent among them, they then established an organization dedicated to helping out others who are in a similar and severe situation brought about by AIDS and HIV. They fought for awareness; to attract the attention of the government and to get aid and assistance to help alleviate the AIDS situation that has gone rampant during those times. They asked for help from people who are of importance to society which includes the mayor, doctors, and even lawyers. Though unfortunately, the government actively refused them and neglected its promise to protect its people, leading Ned to believe that the government hates the queers and that the viral outbreak is working for their benefit.

        Tommy Boatwright, another character in the movie who is a friend of Ned, has this collection of contact cards; contact cards of all his friends. Whenever a friend of his dies, instead of throwing away that friend's contact card, he will put it in a separate bundle of contact cards to safe keep along with the other contact cards of his friends whom he lost due to AIDS and HIV. He doesn't want to throw them away because to him, that would mean forgetting about them. This moment in the film struck me the most as it somehow alludes to how strong the LGBTQ members' bond is with one another. It reminded me of the saying "when you have no one to accompany you, then accompany yourself". Despite receiving no support from the public and the government, it did not hinder Ned and the others from being the help that they badly need during that time. In their own little ways, they fought persistently for one another. They were their own support and their own shoulder to lean on during that terrible crisis. 

        Another thing worth mentioning was a scene in the movie where it was stated that a virus was invented by the government to test on gays as subjects. This was one of the many parts in the movie that was an obvious attempt in bringing awareness to the atrocity that the government has done towards the LGBTQ members because, in real life, this was actually a thing that most people were talking about back in 1980 when HIV first appeared, it was called "Operation Infektion". In the same year in 1980, "The New York Times" refused to use and print the word "gay" and preferred the term "homosexual". Furthermore, it limited its coverage of the LGBTQ community which further proved how the media discriminated against and censored any news regarding AIDS, HIV, and the LGBTQ community as a whole.

        In conclusion, the movie transcends a normal entertainment type of film as it aims to address and shed light on the issues that were long overdue and hidden in the back of the minds of the majority of the public. "The Normal Heart" is more than just a film, it's a testament about truth and conspiracy; a part of history that will forever be stamped in the minds and hearts of LGBTQ members and the public. As the movie title implies, whether man, woman, gay or lesbian, we all still have one human heart; a normal heart.