And The Band Played On

Synopsis:

After a growing number of mysterious deaths among gay men plague cities across America, epidemiologist Don Francis begins his research into a rare virus that is later known as the AIDS epidemic.

Quick Thoughts:

Queer history films can often be difficult to watch, and And The Band Played On certainly falls into that category. The main reason is simply because of this film’s difficult subject: the onset of the AIDS crisis. While I’m just a bit too young to have personally experienced this era, it’s still is a difficult topic – especially when presented to you in the semi-fictional recreation style that writers Randy Shilts & Arnold Schulman created. Interestingly, this HBO film is adapted from Shilts’ book about the era. However I have to confess that this is a hard film to watch also because of how it’s told; the entire film jumps in time, so much that it requires timestamps and locations to help viewers identify what’s going on. But despite this, this is a queer history film that draws you in and you cannot look away. That’s part why this film made such an impression when it was released – and why it’s an important queer film to watch!