120 uderzeń serca

A valuable social testimony, but an unattractive experience for viewers. (09.04.2018)

On one end, there are endless discussions with patiens, activists and professors on the topic of AIDS. On the other end, pointless gay scenes that took a lot of effort for me to handle. Don’t expect anything subtle here… (18.11.2018)

A film about political and personal life with AIDS, the perfectly captured pulse of the 90's, a totally overwhelming second half, the conclusion with laughter through tears, a standing ovation - that's why you go to Cannes. Let's count blood cells. A burning reminder of the forgotten (and still current) situation of the decade before last, and at the same time a very sharp reflection of the relationship between activism / intimacy. It is not without mistakes - the procedural in the first half is repeated a lot, it gets bogged down in excessive details, but the catharsis redeems it richly. (27.05.2017)

BPM (Beats Per Minute) presents in a quite credible way the events and conditions in France in the early 1990s, which were not easy times in the spirit of protests, governmental ignorance and the ever-present fear of a cruel disease. Firstly, I must mention that I was very impressed by the performances of Nahuel Pérez Biscayart and Arnaud Valois, who played their roles in a really convincing manner – I would have even appreciated more space being given to their relationship. This brings me to the story, largely consisting of discussions and arguments, which sounds appealing on the one hand, but with such a long running time, it is a heavy piece that is hard to keep your attention throughout. Personally, I was also quite bothered by the (for my taste) rather bizarrely conceived ending, which kind of spoiled my overall impression of the film. (27.02.2020)

120 BPM is not a straight guy going to a queer bar with a gay friend and wearing a boa in solidarity. 120 BPM is a high-class queer guy who's been sitting in that bar since six and when the nervous boa-wielding escort arrives, he's like, "God, what kind of asshole is that?" At last, a queer film that isn't made for straight people to convince them to the point of exhaustion that homosexuality is normal, but a film that communicates with gay people themselves. No one begging for anyone's approval or sympathy, nothing reduced to caricature in favor of simplifying the whole issue (and, indeed, we pay for it with 140 minutes of running time). The opposing parties are relatively patient in their attempts to communicate, and the accusations made by ACT UP are never confirmed or refuted. There are no five-minute explanatory credits after the film. If I were gay, the film would be the strongest identifying experience for me since at least Top Gun. However, since I wasn't so lucky, I won't pretend that I was able to relate to the film properly. I am, however, adding a star for the fascinating encounter with a painful, tragic, slow death and the certainty of the moment of death in the last quarter. (27.02.2018)

It is by no means an attractive film for the audience, but it certainly has its undeniable value. The relatively large amount of dialogue between activists from the Paris branch of the ACT UP movement on the subject of AIDS may put many people off from watching it right from the start, as well as the not-so-pleasant sex scenes. I had a bit of a problem with it myself, but I'm glad I didn't give up and finished the film. 120 BPM provides a comprehensive look at the state of French society in the 1990s and, without too much emotional blackmail, shows the bitter end of a gay love affair against the backdrop of the LGBT rights protests with which HIV positivity is still most often associated. Apart from the fairly good script, I was particularly impressed by the acting performances of the main protagonists of this cheerless spectacle and the excellent period soundtrack. One of the really powerful moments of the film is a shot of a river stained red, which seems to symbolize the bloodstream, interspersed with the heavy breathing of the anguished Sean. The image of a mass of bodies lying on the ground with transparent crosses on their chests also stuck in my mind. (80%) (06.09.2020)