Longtime Companion (1989)

The emergence and devastation of the AIDS epidemic is chronicled in the lives of several gay men living during the 1980s.

Director:

Norman René

Writer:

Craig Lucas

Stars:

Stephen Caffrey, Patrick Cassidy, Brian Cousins

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Campbell Scott	...	Willy
Patrick Cassidy	...	Howard
John Dossett	...	Paul
Mary-Louise Parker	...	Lisa
Stephen Caffrey	...	Fuzzy
Tanya Berezin	...	Office Manager
Welker White	...	Rochelle
Michael Piontek	...	Office Worker
Joyce Reehling	...	Office Worker
Bruce Davison	...	David
Mark Lamos	...	Sean
Dermot Mulroney	...	John
Michael Schoeffling	...	Michael
Brian Cousins	...	Bob
Marceline Hugot	...	Soap Opera Reader

Storyline

Perhaps the first film to put a human face on the AIDS epidemic, Longtime Companion follows the lives of a small circle of friends from the first mention of the disease in the New York Times in 1981. First referred to as "Gay-Related-Immune-Disorder," we watch the effect of the disease as it devastates the lives of our protagonists. Jumping between Manhattan and Fire Island, vignettes carry us from the it-couldn't-happen-to-me mentality of the early days of the disease to the invasive effect it has had on all of our lives, today. The title of the film comes from the New York Times' refusal to acknowledge homosexual relationships in their obituary section during this period. Instead, survivors were referred to as "Longtime Companions" of the deceased.

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Plot Keywords:

aids | gay men's health crisis | courage | kaposi's sarcoma | disease | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 May 1990 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

Dugogodišnji prijatelj

Filming Locations:

Fire Island, Long Island, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$4,609,953

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Playhouse, Companion Productions, The Samuel Goldwyn Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Features Bruce Davison's only Oscar nominated performance.

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Goofs

Howard and Paul live next door to Lisa in an apartment building. In the opening scenes, Lisa and Paul each come out of their respective apartments into the hallway at the same time, establishing her apartment on the left and the boys' apartment on the right. Later in the movie, after Paul and Howard have gone out to dinner, the same apartments are filmed from the opposite side (through the outside windows), but instead of being mirrored as they should be (with the boys' apartment on the left and Lisa's on the right), Lisa's is still on the left and Howard and Paul's are still on the right.

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Quotes

Bartender: What do you want?
John: I'll have the sweat of that hairy man's brow, thank you.

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Connections

References General Hospital (1963)

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Soundtracks

Bourée
from Water Music Suite in F Major
Written by George Frideric Handel (as Georg Frideric Handel)
Performed by Ensemble Ars Rediviva (as Ars rediviva)
Courtesy of Supraphon

User Reviews

A milestone of gay cinema

A landmark film, not only in that it is the first film to deal with the AIDS crisis, but also in its portrayal of gay men and their friends. Sitting on the cusp between earlier depictions of gays as murderous or suicidal and later caricatures of funny, sexless "best friends", the men shown here are very real and very honest in their decade long struggle with death and illness. I defy you to watch Bruce Davison's heartbreaking farewell speech and not be choked up on some level of emotion. And Mary Louise Parker add a special touche. This movie has arguably the greatest final scene in gay cinema.