FRENCH FRANK
MOVING AND POWERFUL DRAMA ABOUT REAL-LIFE AIDS ACTIVISTS IN PARIS IN THE NINETIES PACKS A PUNCH
WORDS: GUY LODGE
FILMS
FILM OF THE MONTH
120 BEATS PER MINUTE
Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, Arnaud Valois, Adèle Haenel
We’ve seen a lot of worthy, heartfelt dramas about the Aids crisis, but never one as joyfully, defiantly and sensually queer as this emotional sucker-punch from French filmmaker Robin Campillo — finally out in the UK nearly a year after setting Cannes alight. Vibrantly tracing the tangle of personal and political relations among the impassioned members of Aids activist collective ACT UP Paris, it balances a candid, rousing depiction of progressive LGBT+ action with a more intimate, aching love story between the group’s most outspoken member (Biscayart) and a less-confident newcomer (Valois). Inspired by Campillo’s own experience and set to a pulsating EDM soundtrack, it’s that rare Aids drama that doesn’t shame or shy away from sex: it’s a celebration of minds and bodies. See p54. 6 April 5/5