The year is 1985, and Texan
electrician Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) sits frozen on a
hospital bed, paralyzed for a moment in stubborn disbelief at the
life-changing news he's just received: He's not going to live to see
1986. He's not even going to live to see the end of the month, as the
calendar on the wall of his trailer reminds him with a sting. He's
contracted HIV, and at a time when the virus is so misunderstood and
under-researched that odds of surviving the next 30 days are
slim.
Forced to confront his own
misconceptions about the disease and the prejudices of his so-called
“friends”, Ron remarkably manages to turn his darkest hour into
the most meaningful seven years of his life, as he uses his
considerable wiles to acquire all manner of unapproved but effective
treatments to keep himself – along with hundreds of other AIDS
patients – alive to fight another day. He founds the Dallas Buyers
Club, also the title of this terrific new film that chronicles his
true story, so that sufferers can circumvent the FDA's corrupt
regulations and receive symptom-relieving drugs directly from Ron's
makeshift office/motel room.
However, in a refreshing departure from the usual idealistic heroism of biopics, Ron's actions do not stem from moralistic grandstanding... at least not initially. Rather, he is as repulsed by the homosexual community as his own social circle is by him once they discover his illness. He would be reluctant to share his many vials of pills, proteins and vitamins (smuggled in from Mexico and further abroad) unless he thought he could make a quick buck from it.
Unwilling to fully penetrate (haha) the
hottest hot spots of Dallas' gay population to secretly sell his
pharmaceuticals, Ron enlists the help of a transgendered person he had met in
the hospital named Rayon (Jared Leto). The evolving relationship
between them is one of the film's biggest sources of humour and of
heart. Leto is droll, charismatic, and finally heartbreaking as our
hero's unlikely business partner and even more unlikely friend. Ron
also wins over an ally in the form of Dr. Eve Saks (Jennifer Garner),
who eventually comes to see as Ron does that the FDA's agenda-pushing
is as deadly as the epidemic it's failing to properly combat.
A story this fascinating deserves
strong storytelling, and thankfully the storytelling in Dallas
Buyers Club is mostly lean and efficient. The screenplay by Craig
Borten and Melisa Wallack, though shapeless in structure, rings with
righteous hostility at the unfairness of Ron's plight, but never
descends into self-importance. The characters are treated with a
warmth and wit that is essential to lightening the load of the
sobering subject matter. The whole thing is assembled with crisp
editing that makes excellent use of montage and helps define a voice
for director Jean-Marc Vallée's
otherwise invisible (but invaluable) direction.
But as you may have heard, McConaughey
is the real story here, delivering a performance that transcends his
celebrity status. Unrecognizable both in voice and in the flesh (of
which he lost a whole lot to play the gaunt character), he completely
disappears inside Ron Woodroof, compelling us to watch an unsavoury
man vindicate his entire life on borrowed time. His transition from a
homophobic drug profiteer to a devoted champion of a crucial cause is
dramatic yet gradually handled. McConaughey makes us genuinely
believe that this man – who so repelled us at the beginning –
could undergo such a profound change in just seven years. It's a
hopeful message that feels especially relevant as the debate on
America's medical system rages on.
***1/2 out of ****
