gavin6942 The emergence and devastation of the AIDS epidemic is chronicled in the lives of several gay men living during the 1980s.I was not particularly aware of cinema in the 1980s, but my sense today (2017) is that this is an awfully important film. HIV and AIDS did not really become something mainstream films tackled until "Philadelphia", but this film was ahead of that curve being quite open and honest.It also deserves praise, not just for exploring the issue of HIV, but for presenting gay men without reducing them to some kind of stereotype. All too often it seems "gay movies" play up the camp factor. This is fine, of course, but tends to further the idea that the gay community and society as a whole are mutually exclusive, which is anything but the truth.

Melrosemiss I have not seen Longtime Companion in years but remember it as profound and moving. First AIDS-related movie I saw was "An Early Frost" with Aidan Quinn which predated "Longtime Companion" by a few years. Also, therenare these : "In the Gloaming" with Robert Sean Leonard and "It's My Party" with Eric Roberts and Gregory Harrison. Also, "And the Band Played On" with Alan Alda and Matthew Modine. All exceptional.

Alex Heaton (azanti0029) Longtime Companion, the title of which is derived from the term used in the obituary columns by man men to describe their relationship with their partners who died of an HIV related illness back in the 1980s. The term many were forced to use as either they didn't want it to be known they were gay or that their relationship simply wasn't recognised in any other way.The story revolves around a group of gay men from inter-connecting social circles who frequent Fire Island in New York on the weekends and socialise together. Some of them are in secure relationships, others are more promiscuous, while others are single and looking for love. When you consider it, really no different from your average social group of heterosexuals. In the 1980s of course HIV struck initially very much in the gay community and that's how its effects are felt here, as various characters become ill or realise they have friends who are in the same boat. Some handle it better than others, offering their friends the love and support they need to get through it, while some find the issue harder to cope with.This film is very much the impact of HIV seen through a microscope on just one group of people, it doesn't have the scale of And The Band Played On, but it's not covering those issues. It concerns itself with the direct impact on the gay community and one group of friends. It's hard not to feel their pain and helplessness and the shadow is cast over them while they struggle to cope with events and an illness they don't understand. In many ways, its also a love story among the events that are going on - Campbell Scott starts a relationship with Fuzzy, (Stephen Caffrey) while their community is unravelling. The patriarchs of their group David and Shaun played by Bruce Davidson and Mark Lamos try to make sense of it and reassure their friends only to realise they too may have been at risk. The film quickly jumps into 1982 demonstrating how ineffectual the confusing and limited information was for the gay community at the time. As they story develops some people die, others get involved and others try and effect change by speaking out, but at its heart, its still a drama about a group of friends trying to deal with something they cannot comprehend or understand.Acting plaudits should be levelled all round, but special mention goes to Bruce Davidson, this being the first film I ever saw him in. Dermot Mulroney makes appropriate impact as John one of the first to fall while Michael Schoeffling, an actor who was always underrated, is in his prime here.As one of the first films to deal with HIV, remembering it was made in 1989, this film holds up remarkably well now with a few exceptions a side. Its brave and effecting and is the companion piece to And The Band Played On, which gives the wider perspective on the epidemic. In many ways, Longtime, is the East Coast section that And The Band didn't have the running time for.It shouldn't be viewed as a 'Gay' film, even though its about a gay circle of friends (And their heterosexual friends) because this is as Roger Gail Lyon said - a human issue, not a gay issue. An issue that everyone should have knowledge of.

savichmike2001 Although topical, this movie is not dated in any way. Set in the late '80s and '90s, the film evinces timelessness in terms of dialog, music, style, set design, and costuming. In fact, the only thing that "dates" the movie is the absence of cell phones and flat-panel monitors. Unfortunately, the biggest miss is excluding larger social institutions and their reactionary background: the President, NIH, etc. But, perhaps, that is the point of the film: to keep the effects of the disease personal and gut-wrenching. Far better than "An Early Frost" and your typical made-for-TV, "disease-of-of-the-week" films. Truly great acting from a well-put together cast of believable and empathetic characters.