Moving images, stories, emotions, characters, narratives, heroes, passion, creativity, inspiration, truth, life are some of what Cinema consists of. We are humbly trying to unfold each and every piece of our souls, curiously trapped in Films.
With:
Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer
Garner, Jared Leto
Duration:
117'
Production:
USA
In
1985 Dallas, electrician and hustler Ron Woodroof works around the
system to help AIDS patients get the medication they need after he is
himself diagnosed with the disease.
It
is so undeniable obvious how ignorant people were at that time about
AIDS, stripping it out from all the shame and terror it represented.
Also the pharmaceutical (disgusting) business and their deals with
hospitals for new uncertified treatments in order to earn money. They
put people's misery and despair into their wallets. And along with
that they banned everything else that could destroy their “kingdom”
of treatments.
Here
comes our hero, who after the shock of being sick, he quits his job
and starts a small illegal business of treating HIV patients like
himself with importing medicine from Mexico and other countries. His
influence is big and his business brains will prove a priceless
weapon for himself and everyone around him. Drugs and alcohol didn't
manage to get out of his life though and his attitude towards other
people keeps being mean and arrogant (and in times hilarious).
He
meets Rayon, a drug addict trans who is also sick with HIV. Even
though their first encounter is not really ideal, they turned out to
be close partners and friends. The truth is that the relationship
between Ron
and
Rayonis
not given the proper time to flourish on screen. We follow them
around the film quite scared of how Ron would behave towards Rayon,
while there is not really a connection somewhere to prove that he
actually accepted his partner. We just see the ending phase of this
relationship, that they have become good and truthful friends.
While
the character of Mathew McConaughey tries so hard to be rude and to
build a sort of “protection” wall against other people, he also
provokes an embarrassing laughter while his character acts like that.
So tough and straight that to our eyes looks a bit ridiculous. But
the character was real and his behavior and choices where also real.
Many people who were like that existed back then, especially to a
city like Dallas. And they probably still exist. So it is not really
funny, but mostly depressing and disappointing.
Ron
changes though, through all these business and especially through the
disease. Even though he has so many bad elements as a person, he is
still doing everything his own way only to help himself and other
people. I would love to see more about the court procedures and all
the decisions taken but here obviously is not about that. Here is
about people trying to make amends with their harsh reality and try
to decide what to do with the remaining time. Sometimes through
McConaughey's performance we feel how his character feels, we
understand in a peculiar way all his motives, fears and choices,
while we subconsciously console him for the impact his actions have,
even though they are racist, dysfunctional and completely irrational.
This
movie has many faces, has many parts that wants to narrate. But does
it actually manage to say what it wanted to say from the beginning?
In an extent yes it does. Clearly the director tried to fit the small
romance with Garner into the film unsuccessfully, but also the
relationship with Rayon. It seems that everything is about Ron and
the movie cannot escape from this. It is not necessarily bad, it is
just enough. You see the gradual change into Ron, but you fail to
separate his relationships and distinguish their progress through the
plot.
Ron
doesn't want you to like him. Actually he doesn't really care if you
or anyone else likes him. He is very obnoxious but at the same time
what he tries, and at the end manages to do, is extraordinary.
Attempting to help sick people with effective medicine, attempting to
ease their pain and mostly his pain. We do see him go through many
sentimental turbulences and making amends at the end with his
condition. He is strong and a fighter, a magnificent characteristic
that is obvious not until the very end.
Dallas
Buyers Club is
a bit not sure where to confine itself, whether it is his genre
(drama, comedy, political, historical, biography) or its story, but
at the end you can see clearly what its purpose was; through Ron's
story to talk about a matter that is still a taboo in many places in
the world, to show how people can deal with their very own real and
harsh problems and how a surprise in your life can turn out both
inspirational and truthful for you and the others around you.
