BPM: Beats Per Minute
Composite Score: 82.87
Starring: Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, Arnaud Valois, Adèle Haenel, Antoine Reinartz, Félix Maritaud, Ariel Borenstein, Aloïse Sauvage, Simon Bourgade, Médhi Touré, and Simon Guélat
Director: Robin Campillo
Writers: Robin Campillo and Philippe Mangeot
Genres: Drama, Romance, LGBT+
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Box Office: $7.70 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
BPM: Beats Per Minute tells the stories of members of Paris’s chapter of the ACT UP advocacy group in the early 1990s as they seek to implore the French government and pharmaceutical companies to do more to combat the AIDS epidemic. Writer/Director Robin Campillo based the film on his own experiences as a member of ACT UP Paris and as a gay man in the 1990s. It is a powerful film that touches on the political, health, and personal concerns surrounding the AIDS epidemic of the late-80s/early-90s through its focus on a few key members of the group. The ensemble piece shifts easily between political advocacy film and deeply personal romance as it explores the lives of its characters and the global need for action to protect those affected by HIV/AIDS.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
That last sentence should perhaps have contained a “for me” in there, as the film’s shifting genres might leave some audiences frustrated that they came for a political messaging film about protestors and got a romantic drama instead or vice versa. The film’s two distinct energies, though skillfully interwoven might have each worked individually as their own films as well, lending to an argument against BPM’s seemingly excessive runtime of nearly two and a half hours. The advocacy work of ACT UP, culminating with their meeting with the Melton Pharm employees, centered around the characters of Sophie, Thibault, Jérémie, and Eva could be its own film, bashing the for-profit pharmaceutical industry and urging for better care of marginalized groups. In a similar way, the romance between Sean and Nathan, centering around Sean’s HIV+ status and Nathan’s desire to help him live his best life could also have been its own moving romantic drama film, calling attention to the issue of HIV and the need for better treatment and sex education and open conversations around all of that. Campillo wove these two narratives together well, in my book, but the film’s length and breadth might be too much for some viewers to handle.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
Here’s the deal, the fact that I was able to summarize both stories contained in the film and their messages, speaks to the film’s effectiveness despite its vast scope. Even watching it in French with English subtitles and ads playing every fifteen minutes or so, I was able to take in everything that the film seems to have been trying to do, and I enjoyed it, leaving deeply moved by the end of it all. The film captures not only the tragedy and struggle of living with HIV/AIDS, like so many other films and shows with similar subject matter have already done, it also communicates the frustration with medical companies and governments that people impacted by the disease feel. And its message extends even beyond just HIV/AIDS; by focusing on the failings of the government in health education and pharmaceutical companies in providing accessible drugs and open communication, coinciding with a legitimately healthy relationship between Sean and Nathan, the film brings most of its audience on board, presenting familiar, if not always relatable situations.
In addition to the film’s sheer effectiveness, I’d like to highlight the performance of Nahuel Pérez Biscayart as Sean. His performance, for me, was the heart and soul of the film. From his impassioned pleas for more active protests in the ACT UP meetings to his romancing of Nathan to his performance as a cheerleader in the Pride Parade to his declining health by the film’s end, everything the character does comes across as entirely genuine. Biscayart makes the audience believe in Sean and want to root for him at every step of the way. He showcases a range of skills; from physical to verbal to facial expression, he never leaves character and carries the film on his back. Even with solid performances from the other actors in the film, none stands up or holds a flame to Biscayart’s Sean.
Skillful acting, headlined by Biscayart’s leading performance, and a deeply moving story that has emotional, political, and practical resonance have turned BPM: Beats Per Minute into one of the Greatest Films of All Time. The film’s length and breadth of subject matter can be daunting, but those who watch it all the way through will come out with a new film to add to their lists of favorites. This film is currently available to stream with ads via Plex or to rent on most other streaming services. Definitely check it out when you have time.
