The film Dallas Buyers Club and how/why AIDS is predominant in New Queer Cinema - Research Paper Example

The film "Dallas Buyers Club" and how/why is predominant in the New Queer Cinema Introduction With all the films flourishing in the New Queer Cinema Wave, a substantial amount of common themes emerged, such as living with , representations of gay racial stereotypes, disability/queerness and homonormativity/heteronormativity behavior (Rich 8). These topics emphasized cultural differences and setting personal boundaries of gender norms within society. The establishment of new cinema included a new perspective that delivered thought provoking and opinionated views regarding the way in which transgendered-individuals associate with heteronormative stereotypes (Rich 9). There are a number of films in the New Queer Cinema, which makes more predominant. This research paper outlines how is predominant in the New Queer Cinema bases its arguments on the film “Dallas Buyers Club”. Consequently, the film Dallas Buyers Club by Eric Cortellessa, introduces the audience to Matthew McConaughey who receives information that he has the HIV virus that causes. In the opening scene of Dallas Buyers Club, the film shows a man riding an expensive bronco, while on the other side of the rodeo, a woman, and a man are enjoying some very impersonal, quick sex (Rich 9). “Dallas Buyers Club” film is a real story of Ron Woodroof, who is an electrician and rodeo fan, he is so shady, so contrary, and uncooperative that he lives seven years being HIV/ positive even when the doctors approve that he has only one month to live in the year 1985. Ron Woodroof was not such a nice person (Rich 7). A ladies’ man, a real homophobe, and a borderline drunker, he tried all he can to remain alive. He ended up assisting and helping other people who were HIV positive in the process of his life. The film “Dallas Buyers Club” takes the viewers back to the time when was a worse crisis, when this disease was public terror, death sentence, and the hostility was high. When Ron Woodroof realizes that he has HIV infection, he first denies the disease and threatens doctor (Dennis O’Keefe) who asks him whether he has ever engaged at any time in homosexual activities. Although Ron Woodroof tries to remain determined and maintaining his past life, within few days, McConaughey portrays to the audience the looks of a dumbfounded and lonely man was having challenges in accepting his new form of life from land of health to that of sickness. Ron Woodroof first decides to get AZT (experimental treatment), which is the only approved type of HIV treatment of that period. Thereafter he starts going across the borders to Mexico for less toxic HIV drugs. He realizes a way of achieving these drugs in plenty and remains alive as well. He later begins fetching some to the United States. Rayon is a transsexual who later becomes a liaison of Ron Woodroof to the people who are most interested to get drugs (Benshoff, Harry, &Sean 8). The film brings glory to the audience because it tries to depict that, all bridges are crossable and nothing in this world is impossible (Rees-Roberts 89). As acted by McConaughey, Woodroof remains the lowdown and harsh person who is most interested in good time and money. There are no physical symptoms, which indicate that, Woodroof has, we just realize and conclude from the change of his actions. For instance, how he shifted from disdain to his new friend Rayon ((Rees-Roberts 105). Perhaps the real things in history require an intervention. “Dallas Buyers Club” limits are the true stories of the real things that happen in our daily life and the facts. An interesting story lands and at the same time reverberates. In real life situation, stories have their own way of stopping leaving someone unsatisfied. This latter is what exactly happens in the film “Dallas Buyers Club” (Rees-Roberts 107). Since the outbreak of the killer disease, HIV/, many real life stories have depicted themselves in magic movies (Rich 9). The film “Dallas Buyers Club” is among these films, which portrays such stories. The film profiles life of Ron Woodroof who is a cowboy and a drug user tested with HIV virus positive in the year 1980. Although doctors tell him that he has only thirty days to live, he decides to start using azidothymidine (AZT), the only HIV drug, which was available in America during that era. After this drug makes his health more badly, he starts doing his own research about the disease and he later decides to move to Mexico to look for other alternative medication, which was not available in the United States (Rich 9). Woodroof travels in the entire world to look for alternative HIV medication, which will sustain his life. With the help of his doctor and other HIV positive patients, he begins to sell these HIV drugs in America (Rees-Roberts 104). The storyline in the film reflects how people living with HIV/AIDS influenced the establishment of the disease’s medication during the outbreak time of the disease. “Dallas Buyers Club” is more interesting due to its perspective of HIV patient advocacy. This film portrays the way people living with HIV/ could do anything to prolong their lives as well as the lives of their friends (Rees-Roberts 104). In the year 1980 when scientists discovered, people linked the disease mainly with homosexual men. Beyond those infected becoming stigmatized for such condition, this association was mainly to depict the hate and ignorance to prove that homosexual was illegal. HIV disease frequently referred to “Gay Plague”. When Ron Woodroof realizes that he has HIV infection, he worries about the allegations of being a gay than he concentrates with his own health (Benshoff, Harry, &Sean 55). By the time, he realizes that he has the HIV virus; we already know that he does not give his well being the first priority. He does sex with prostitute, smokes cigarettes, drinks whiskey, and snorts cocaine. He was of the arrogant gamblers who make bets, which he denies to pay when he loses. He stays in a trailer park and he shows little concern to his life and hygiene. He has a sense of humor and he can quickly fight if someone provokes him. He is intensely homophobic and charismatic redneck (Benshoff, Harry, &Sean 85). McConaughey changes his physical appearance for a reason, for instance, he is not handsome, chiseled Adonis the audience knows him as, and he is unsightly and scrawny. Screenwriters Melissa Wallack and Craig Borten are purposefully at the beginning of the movie with Woodroof mocking Rock Hundson, who was the first famous celebrity who died of (Rees-Roberts 106). Hundson was a person whose Hollywood character was very different compared to his own life. During his life, many people got surprised to realize that Hundson was a gay. Beginning with Hundson as the first celebrity to die, the film’s producers teach that the disease can infect and kill anyone. The death of celebrity Hundson inspired many people to contribute money to fund medical research for medication. Hundson died in the year 1985, the same time when this film begins (Rees-Roberts 132). Woodroof receives information from his doctor, that Sevard and Eve have HIV infection and he has been negatively affected and weakening his resistant body system because of his heavy drinking and smoking. He is further told that he has only thirty days to die (Benshoff, Harry &Sean 96). At first, McConaughey does not take his health condition seriously; he turns back to his normal celebrity habits. Instead of changing his way of living, he continues to engage and have sex with prostitutes. He continues with this lifestyle until he realizes that his body starts to weaken. This is the time when he begins the research of HIV disease (Benshoff, Harry, &Sean 98). While conducting his medication research, he reads that seventy-one percent of those who die through are bisexual and homosexual men (Aaron 115). Then he further comes to realize that can infect and kill anyone and the more you engage in unprotected sex the more you have high chances of being infected. McConaughey then begins to process that such a thing has already happened in his own life (Aaron 23). When McConaughey requires medication, the only one available that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approves is AZT. Since the medication is not very available, doctors decide to give the patients half of the drug and the remaining half used for testing AZT’s efficacy (Aaron 64). Unable to accept his doctor’s declaration that, he is going to die soon, McConaughey makes a deal with an assistant nurse who will be providing him with the drugs. Eventually, his arrangement seems unsuccessful and he goes across the borders to search for another alternative medication (Aaron 65). He comes across a doctor from United State who running a pharmacy shop in Mexico after his invalidation of his business license in US. After the doctor treats McConaughey for a period of three months and he gains extra knowledge about the disease, he realizes a way he can benefit from these alternative drugs (Aaron 115). He can profit from this by smuggling some of these drugs to his homeland, Texas, and sell them to the patients living with HIV/. When McConaughey returns to his homeland, he first meets one of the peoples living with HIV/, Rayon whom they met at the hospital. Rayon knows a group of his friends who are HIV positive and might become interested with the drugs McConaughey has, but he sees minimal gain of selling the drugs to them than establishing a sustainable business (Griffiths 22). He is willing to establish his own private shop, “the Dallas Buyers Club”. At this time, Dallas Buyers Club is all around for people living with HIV virus who want to purchase these alternative drugs. Rayon and McConaughey set up their deal in a motel and use membership criteria, patients purchase the membership but not the drugs (Griffiths 25). Once a patient becomes a member, he or she gets an access to all types of medication they offer. As the business grew and attracted many buyers this poses a major challenge to pharmaceutical and FDA companies since it has now become a competition. Now, the FDA tries to destroy the business of Rayon and Woodroof. Throughout the entire movie, there are so many inevitable things that the filmmakers outline well. It is effectively obvious that Woodroof is tolerant with gays and realizes that the people infected with HIV/ are human being who are worthy any HIV treatment and viewed as such (Aaron 23). “Dallas Buyers Club” goes far from what people may expect and turns out to be a poignant and stunning movie about not giving up on the essential aspects of one’s life. It is ironic to see how Woodroof contracts the HIV virus; he does not seem so much affected by the test results until his health begins to weaken that he finds the purpose of looking for the disease’s medication (Aaron 64). Initially, Woodroof’s purpose is only to survive and then it becomes more and more complicated than before. It may be difficult at this point having a character that begins his life with a more commercial incentive and later realizes that there is something special he has to do (Griffiths 25). “Dallas Buyers Club” handles this character better than any other recent film. The film gives Woodroof a relationship and teaches him the way he should connect to other people. He sometimes portrays compromised methods; he steals, lies, manipulates, and cheats (Griffiths 28). However, the consequences and purpose controlling his actions lastly turns out to be noble. “Dallas Buyers Club” is one of New Queer Cinema’s films, which shows why is predominantly in the New Queer Cinema. The film is a true reflection of what used to happen those days. It shows how people could acquire HIV/ through engaging in both homosexual and bisexual (Griffiths 63). AID is predominant in the New Queer Cinema because currently this is main killer disease resulting in the deaths of millions of people (Aaron 23). The film also tries to teach people that it is essential to begin medication immediately a doctor confirms that you are a victim. Most people such as Woodroof could only decide to ignore the test results until when they see their health weakening. The film also tries to educate the audience about the need of taking medication immediately one realizes that he or she has HIV/AIDS (Aaron 64). There are many types of medication and a patient only needs to take one pill before retiring to bed. It is unhealthy to ignore the test results just the way Woodroof did. However, HIV/ is not a death sentence as people used to see it before (Aaron 115). It sounds naive for one to think that is not a threat since many people contract this disease on a daily basis and medication may be difficult. The film gives Woodroof a relationship and teaches him the way he should connect to other people. Conclusion In conclusion, is predominant in the New Queer Cinema. Most of the films shown in the cinema portray the theme of HIV/AIDS. “Dallas Buyers Club” is featured in the research paper as one of the films that depicts why is predominant in the New Queer Cinema. Consequently, the film Dallas Buyers Club by Eric Cortellessa, introduces the audience to Matthew McConaughey who receives information that he has the HIV virus that causes. Although he first ignores the doctors approve that he is positive and continues with his celebrate habits, he later realizes there is a need of looking for medication. With all the films comprised in the New Queer Cinema, a substantial amount of common themes emerged, such as living with, representations of gay racial stereotypes, which are highly portrayed in “Dallas Buyers Club”. Work cited Aaron, Michele. New Queer Cinema: A Critical Reader. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2004. Print. This book focuses on the features that lead to spread and infection of HIV/ virus. It gives an overview of “Dallas Buyers Club” starring Mathew McConaughey and how he struggled to accept and live as an HIV positive. Benshoff, Harry M, and Sean Griffin. Queer Cinema, the Film Reader. New York [u.a.: Routledge, 2004. Print. Discussions in this book show how gay and homosexual habits are highly exercised in the film “Dallas Buyers Club. The book outlines gay fantasies on Arab men and Arab self-representation of European fastest gay lifestyles. Griffiths, Robin. Queer Cinema in Europe. Bristol: Intellect, 2008. Print. The work of this book discusses the conflict between gender, identity, and sexuality in contemporary Queer cinema. It covers different lesbians, gay, and queer deployments and how this influences spread of HIV/AIDS. Rees-Roberts, Nick. French Queer Cinema. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2008. Print. This book explains how sex is highly transmitted in Dallas Buyers Club. It discusses how several actors in film like Woodroof engage in illegal lifestyles such as homosexual. Further chapters in the book discuss transgender dissent, side effects of, and effects of gay relationships. Rich, B R. New Queer Cinema: The Director's Cut. , 2013. Print. This book discusses queer self-representation using contemporary film and videos in France. The book outlines gay fantasies on Arab men and Arab self-representation of European fastest gay pornography production. Read More