Sweat and dust particles mesh in a dance club over a crowd of young 20-somethings, sizzling with energy on the dancefloor, carefree and bursting with joie de vivre. Then, as only cinema can, a microscopic zoom reveals the fateful tragedy underneath the beats; many of the young dancers are HIV-positive. The posse of charismatic youngsters are part of the Act-Up Paris AIDS activist group from the early 90s, and they’re taking a break from the pharmaceutical bureaucratic circle of hell that has them hand-cuffed on a daily basis. Robin Campillo’s “120 Beats Per Minute” balances this communal and rivetingly human connection with the political nightmare that looms like a dark cloud over their fates. The film delves deep into the soul of a fundamentally important cause, with a slice-of-life look at a time in history that feels incredible urgent in today’s torn-up world.
It’s 1992 and Parisian society, like much of the rest of world at the time, is deaf and blind to the deadly epidemic ravaging through the gay community. Inspired by Act-Up New York, an association formed in 1987 to raise public awareness about AIDS and demand more action from the government, Act-Up Paris is launched. Campillo introduces the founding members of the group through the eyes of newcomer Nathan (Arnaud Valois), who is quickly swept off his feet by the boisterous and charismatic Sean (Nahuel Perez Biscayart) – Act-Up’s most outspoken and passionate member. A brilliant exchange of dialogue and flashbacks about the group’s latest political move opens the film and introduces us to Sean’s rebellious nature; founding members Sophie (Adele Haenel) and Thibault (Antoine Reinartz) are not happy about the way Sean and Max (Felix Maritaud) derailed the last Act-Up protest by going off script and restraining the key speaker of the conference they were protesting. These Act-Up debates, of which there are many, with each more immersive than the last, are elemental to the rhythm, humility and humanity that’s ingrained so deeply in ‘120 BPM.’ Recalling the classroom synergy of Laurent Cantet’s Palme d’Or winner “The Class” (which Campillo co-wrote), these scenes breathe life into the film, modestly painting the characters with a naturalistic paintbrush that gives them relatable personalities that feel instantly familiar.
Act-Up’s enemy number one is Melton-Pharm, a pharmaceutical giant that refuses to release test results, which could prove vital to understanding the medical treatment of the disease. Campillo balances this political narrative with the relationship that blossoms between Nathan and Sean, and through both perspectives exposes the biological, emotional, and physical consequences of the disease. Rarely, if ever, has a film confronted AIDS in such a candid and honest manner; peeling all of its layers right down to the core to expose its tremendous life-changing consequences. Medical treatments and side-effects find their way into intimate conversations between lovers, popular treatments are dissected over breakfast, and the physical transformation that the human body goes through, as Sean’s health deteriorates, is laid naked and bare before our eyes. It’s an urgent reminder that we’re watching a story set in 1992, about a disease that is still affecting a countless number of lives in 2017.
In keeping with the ultra-realistic nature of the film, Campillo significantly doesn’t shy away from the sex scenes. While never reaching the explicit, elongated levels of “Blue is the Warmest Color,” ‘120 BPM’ makes sure to keep the physical intimacy between Nathan and Sean at the forefront of their electric connection. Blowjobs, anal sex, and a late heart-sinking handjob scene – even if somewhat awkwardly edited by Campillo and slightly crippled by Arnaud Rebotini’s sterile score – power the kind of emotional resonance that’s essential to the context.
However, as the film takes its somber turn in the middle, the feeling is that Campillo’s impressive direction and bold charge at his subject wouldn’t work half as well if it weren’t for Nahuel Perez Biscayart’s magnificent central performance as Sean. He is the vessel through which we see the invasion of AIDS on the body and the mind; we meet him as a happy-go-lucky passionate activist whose sense of humor and extroverted charisma shines through, and watch as the spark within him grows dimmer and dimmer. Biscayart disappears into the role, showcasing a range and talent throughout this process that is frighteningly effective and poignant. He will make you laugh, he will make you cry, he will make your heart beat like a progressive house dancefloor hit. But as monumental as his performance is, you can’t say it outshines the rest of the terrific performances that populate ‘120 BPM’ – Haenel’s Sophie is another standout character, and a particular scene featuring her explaining a trick with fax machines is an instant classic, and one of the many charming throwbacks to a world before iPhones and Facebook.
The significance of face-to-face connection and community, that’s so lacking in our contemporary blitzkrieg of social networks, is what ultimately gives ‘120 BPM’ its greatest strength. As a gay man and alumni of Act-Up Paris himself, Robin Campillo brings an intimate and reverberating personal touch to this story. The way he films the association of activists – whether inside furiously debating their strategy, at Gay Pride staging their defiance to stay silent, or dancing their hearts away in the club – a very strong and familial sense of togetherness transcends the screen. Other than overstaying its welcome by some 15-20 minutes, a fine-tooth-comb inspection may find ‘120 BPM’ flawed in the way its scenes of intimacy and private discussions don’t quite measure up, cinematically, to the Act-Up sequences. But nonetheless, the heart of ‘120 BPM’ beats with pulsating urgency, at a time when our world is desperately in need of stories about fighting together for a common cause. [B+]
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