Educational Media Reviews Online

Although the 1980s HIV crisis isn’t the most popular topic in fiction, it’s not exactly uncommon either. Take for instance the recent FX drama series Pose, set in late ’80s New York City. So what makes BPM, a fictionalized account of director/writer Robin Campillo’s experiences, different? Two factors: setting and perspective. BPM follows ACT UP Paris, providing a specifically activist perspective in contrast to most works’ focus on the general lives of people infected with HIV, and a setting in ’90s France rather than the far more common ’80s United States.

Like most of its counterparts, the film reflects issues that are still commonplace. The debate in ACT UP meetings on the relative merits of radical, anarchist efforts and more subdued efforts following traditional political means will be immediately familiar to anyone involved in current left-wing politics. And in one of the most memorable scenes, a high school principal refuses to install a condom machine, claiming that it will promote sexual activity, only to be confronted by a mother whose son was infected at age 16. It’s immediately reminiscent of debates over abstinence-only sex education.

But the film is certainly not without its flaws. The most noticeable is its running time of over two hours: scenes are frequently longer than they need to be, making the story drag when it could (and should) have been snappy. Moreover, the scenes of the characters dancing at a nightclub – the source of the film’s title – are totally disconnected from the plot, with no transition in or out and nothing significant happening. Eventually, they seem almost like a Saturday Night Live sketch. The film also lacks diversity; it features only one character of color and one transgender character, both of them seen only fleetingly. Compare that to Pose, which features a cast that’s almost half transgender and mostly people of color.

Ultimately, BPM is far from a perfect movie, and comes across as the French equivalent of Oscar bait, but it still offers a valuable look at a historically and currently important issue. It is recommended for public libraries, and academic libraries with feature film collections.

Awards:

• Calbourg Film Festival, Audience Award
• Cannes Film Festival, Grand Prix, FIPRESCI Prize, François Chalais Prize, Queer Palm
• César Awards, Best Film, Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, Most Promising Actor, Best Original Music, Best Editing
• Chicago International Film Festival, Gold Q-Hugo
• European Film Awards, Best Editor
• Globes de Cristal Awards, Best Film, Best Actor
• International Film Festival of India, Best Film
• Los Angeles Film Critics Association, Best Foreign Language Film
• Lumières Awards, Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Most Promising Actor, Best Music
• Merlinka Festival, Best Queer Film of the Year
• New York Film Critics Circle, Best Foreign Language Film
• Online Film Critics Society, Best Foreign Language Film
• San Sebastian Film Festival, Sebastiane Award
• Vancouver Film Critics Circle, Best Foreign Language Film
• Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association, Best Foreign Language Film