We Were Here Film Analysis

In the early years of the AIDS epidemic, thousands of people witnessed their loved ones dwindle away helplessly. The AIDS disease spread faster than the medical community could maintain, thus creating more pain to engulf the homosexual community. Both videos, We Were Here and The Normal Heart, truly encompassed the heartache and anger which flowed amongst the homosexual and general community. We Were Here is a follow-up documentary which found men and women who lived in San Francisco during the AIDS outbreak and questioned them on how the disease impacted them during that time period. This documentary highlighted the struggles the community went through as they watched the people around them get added to the list of AIDS victims. The Normal …show more content…
Larry Kramer lived infamously throughout the gay community for writing a controversial book which detailed the sexuality of the homosexual community called Faggots. Years after Faggots got released, Kramer released The Normal Heart play which highlighted his fight against the slow progress the government put forth. The movie, in my opinion, covered the monumental struggles, frustration, and heartache Ned Weeks, Larry Kramer’s character in the movie, and his companions grappled with. He and his friends started the Gay Rights Movement group which intended to spread the word about the AIDS disease and provide assistance to those who needed it. Throughout the movie, Ned Weeks and the remaining members of the group obtained different ideologies of how they would impact the community and spark change. Ned Weeks believed they had to verbally fight against the government of New York and the United States to ensure proactivity. On the other hand, Bruce, Mickey, and the other members perceived Ned’s actions as too harsh and harmful for the group’s reputation. As I watched the movie, I could not help but become annoyed with Bruce and the other members of the group. I completely agreed with the actions Ned took and did not think they should be considered too harsh or catastrophic to the group’s reputation. His stern actions highlighted the seriousness of the disease, but there remained a lack of knowledge, so his actions were perceived as extremely radical. In a way, I saw Bruce and the other members of the group more harmful than helpful, because they did not want to stand up for their lives or the lives of the others crumbling around them. Their attitudes towards Ned Weeks and his actions caused them to look somewhat selfish, fragile, and terrified, which may have been Larry Kramer’s intention through the creation of