elrhiarhodan

The New York Times review of The Normal Heart is up (finally). It's not as glowing as some (okay, most), but that is - in a way - better. The review never takes its eye off history, not only of the AIDS crisis, but the history of the play, of Larry Kramer, of the history of gay life in New York in the late '70s and early '80s.

And as such, it doesn't quite forgive The Normal Heart for being a polemic instead of a drama. But that's okay. Because it has this to say about Matt Bomer's performance:

The film also underscores the manipulative parts of the piece, especially when characters we barely know die. Characters die all the time on television, of course, but these days, it’s generally to jolting effect, because we have come to know them over multiple episodes. This “Normal Heart” can feel a bit dehumanizing, as if it’s introducing characters only to kill them in hopes of wringing some tears out of us. Television viewers today are not likely to cry on command like this; they’re used to fuller portrayals.

There is one amazing exception: the character of Felix, Ned’s lover, a reporter at The New York Times. We do come to know Felix, and Matt Bomer, who portrays him, makes sure we understand just what AIDS meant to this character and, by extension, to thousands of gay men who suffered and died in this period. Shooting on the film reportedly stopped for some time while Mr. Bomer lost 40 pounds to portray Felix after he has come down with the disease. It’s a frightening thing to see, and an example of how Mr. Kramer and Mr. Murphy take one of the play’s strong points and, through the flexibility afforded by film, make it even more powerful.

The Normal Heart, New York Times, May 22, 2014