“I don’t recall that glorious document saying anything about all straight men are created equal. I believe it says all men are created equal.”
As we are in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, it sometimes makes the mind wander towards similar predicaments. A crisis that hit the world in the eighties, and bled into the nineties, was the deadly ‘aides’ virus. Many were afraid of the virus as there was much uncertainty over the scope and effects it would have on people. This caused a surge of blatant homophobia, and many forms of media were interested in having their say on the matter. It’s a very different type of virus to the one we’re experiencing right now, but the reaction is not so dissimilar. One movie that took a sympathetic approach was the critically acclaimed, ‘Philadelphia’. It was upfront and unapologetic on it’s stance against homophobics, and lent an understanding ear to those effected by the virus. This movie may lack subtlety, but it’s a story that needed to be told in uncertain times. This is Jonathan Demme’s Philadelphia.
The movie places it’s focus on Andy Beckett (Tom Hanks), a lawyer who is fired over a seemingly minuscule mistake and starts to question the validity of his bosses’ stance. Andy, who is gay, has also contracted HIV, this virus and Andy’s lifestyle were kept hidden from his bosses, but was revealed shortly before his termination. Andy starts to believe that he was fired for being gay and searches out for a fellow lawyer at a rival company to help him bring justice for his wrongful termination. Andy requests the help of Joe Miller (Denzel Washington), a xenophobic lawyer with a loving wife and daughter that, initially, despises Andy’s sexuality. After turning down Andy’s case, Joe finds himself morally conflicted with the wrongful termination and his old-fashioned views. Joe changes his mind and defends Andy because he feels it’s the right thing to do, but his homophobia still remains. Over time, the two begin to bond and Joe is left questioning his previous discrimination. Regardless, the two are out to get justice, and maybe change some homophobic minds.
While the aids crisis was much more prevalent in the eighties, and the general public were starting to become more accepting by this time, there was still a large amount of xenophobia spread across America. The movie tackles the issue with a blunt approach, chastising the discrimination with unapologetic ferocity. They make a point to show how terrifying the virus is, but they also don’t shy away from addressing the absurdity of the paranoia caused by the virus. The antagonists are all shown to be spiteful, as they treated Andy as a friend before finding out he was gay, immediately sabotaging his job after the fact. The courtroom drama is also filled with a jury of different viewpoints, and the film doesn’t shy away from the blatant neglect by the average person, with a few very biased and homophobic jury members having it out for Andy. Joe’s homophobic nature is there to serve as a message to those who may share his views. Joe is a loving family man but that doesn’t exact him from his jarred viewpoint; he has a spiteful outlook that can be rooted from upbringing. Joe becomes progressively more understanding of Andy’s situation and he finds himself defending his new friend.
As much as Andy is the focus, Joe seems to almost hijack the movie. This is a minor complaint as the message of the film still gets it’s point across, but there is a feeling of unease when we’re stuck following a protagonist with terrible views. The heart of the movie, however, is Joe’s journey to understanding. It’s clear that Joe grows as a person and he stops seeing Andy as a client and begins to humanize him once he meets the people around Andy. We are introduced to Andy’s parents and siblings, who are very understanding of his sexuality, as well as Andy’s partner, Miguel, who adores Andy. The movie wants us to focus on this aspect to give homophobic people some perspective. Andy is a human, just as much as anyone else, with a loving family, and this disease is slowly killing him. It is this very thing that keeps Joe as the viewer avatar, as he slowly comes around to the idea that being gay isn’t something to be looked down upon. Both Washington and Hanks deliver amazing performances as well. Hanks never feels like he’s exaggerating his performance, and when scenes can turn really dark, he can deliver a mesmerizing performance. Washington does a great job of humanizing, what could have been, a spiteful character, and we see little signs of a change of hearts scattered throughout. The two also have a great chemistry together, it never feels forced and you believe the friendship that blooms.
Philadelphia is a high recommendation. While the aides crisis has, mostly, subsided, there is still a continuous xenophobia that spreads across the world, far more dangerous than the virus itself. It’s honest commentary on the state of public perception of the time is real focus, the aides virus is simply a device to highlight the homophobia of the characters. The movie can even be related to the Corona virus. Obviously it’s a very different type of virus, but the mass hysteria and abundant racism that has spawned from this is almost parallel to the fear of the eighties and nineties. Perhaps this film can give you some solace, a view that change can happen, and that we shouldn’t let others influence our fears. Even without all that, it’s a well-written movie with much heart. Even if the ending may seem inevitable, it’s much more about the journey towards understanding. Check it out.
Side note: starting writing this before England went into lockdown, it’s been heavily re-edited since then.
Written review by C. Johnson.