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:

disease | aids | new york times | longtime companion | epidemic | 

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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, Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

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

In the segment marked "July 3, 1981" people dance to the song "Do You Wanna Funk?" by Sylvester, but this song was not released until 1982.

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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 Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

...touchingly real...

As far as I know, Longtime Companion, released in 1990, is the first American motion picture to deal head on with AIDS (whereas Philadelphia (1993), staring Tom Hanks, receives the honor of the first STUDIO film about AIDS). Made on an obviously minuscule budget, this film nevertheless captures an honesty about AIDS and its effects through touchingly real vignettes of a the lives of a group of friends. Some of these mini-stories fall a bit flat, and the film's politics at times seems overly optimistic -- we're supposed to believe that on a TV soap opera a full and deep man-on-man kiss would have happened in 1984.

The unfettered filmmaking and straightforward acting (especially by the subsequently Oscar nominated Bruce Davison), however, keep both the story and the audience grounded -- there are several scenes that seemed so very real that my heart truly ached for these characters. In today's age of expanded understanding of the homosexual heart (that it is, in fact, in no way different from any other heart), the Longtime of Longtime Companion may not seem too terribly extraordinary; within the context of American cinema, however, I have a feeling that history will see this film for the landmark it truly is.