Member review

I believe that Philadelphia is a captivating movie as it closely follows the life of a homosexual lawyer who is suffering from AIDS and is played by actor Tom Hanks. The film’s compelling nature is found not from its name, but the messages that it puts forward; those of which were highly controversial at the time due to the era of when the . At the time the film is set, the AIDS disease seem to be compared to the plague. This has a major effect on the life of the main character, Andrew Beckett, a successful gay lawyer who believes he is fired because he has this disease, and goes from there by accusing his firm of discrimination. In my opinion, the film becomes more and more compelling as it progresses. One of many controversies in Philadelphia is when Beckett is working from home for some time; which is where he also attempts to hide his lesions as he knew that they were a clear sign of his suffering of AIDS. While his work from home was supposed to be filed away safely, it was not; and this is used as a reason for Beckett’s firing. Only then comes the grim realisation that Beckett was fired due to his illness. Hanks deserved his pay-cheque before filming commenced as he lost an immense amount of weight to take-on the role of this controversial character, showing how committed he was to portray to his audience how discrimination can affect one’s life. Overall, the film is a must-watch.