Tick Tick Boom

Set in the theatre district of 90s New York City, HIV and AIDs is an unwelcome and threatening backdrop in Lin Manuel-Mirandas directorial debut: Tick Tick Boom! Based on the semi-autobiographical musical by the late, great, Jonathan Larson (portrayed by Andrew Garfield), Tick Tick Boom! embodies the dread of getting old and running out of time, only emphasised by close friends who are fighting for their lives or have lost them far too soon.

The unsettling and constant presence of the HIV/AIDs crisis is portrayed through anecdotes, the news, posters, signs – and in the emotional climax of the musical when JonathanÔÇÖs childhood best friend Michael reveals that heÔÇÖs been diagnosed with HIV.

Tick Tick Boom! humanises the people living with HIV and AIDs. It acknowledges the tragedy, whilst not showing the graphic or sensationalising the victims, but depicting them as people with dreams and aspirations that the political system has failed.

Words by Caitlin Matthews

Dallas Buyers Club

ÔÇÿScrew the FDA, IÔÇÖm DOAÔÇÖ

This film is an adaptation of the life of Ron Woodroof, a homophobic man who receives a diagnosis of HIV and a prognosis of 30 days. Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto bring to life the desperation and the panic people faced without the knowledge of a cure during the 80s and 90s, a stark reminder of how far medicine has come today. It also highlights the greed of big pharmaceutical companies who used the pandemic to pad their pockets along with their abuse of hospitals. In other reviews, this film has been compared to Denzel WashingtonÔÇÖs Philadelphia in the way it challenges prejudice. I really enjoyed this film, watching it for the first time and knowing very little about the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and it inspired me to research more.

Words by Poppy Adams

ItÔÇÖs A Sin

Channel 4ÔÇÖs ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs A SinÔÇØ portrays the HIV/AIDs epidemic in a relatable way whilst not shying away from showing the reality the HIV/AIDS crisis had on1980s Britain. The showÔÇÖs protagonist Richie, played by Years & YearsÔÇÖ Olly Alexander, is a representative of how the LGBTQ+ community in the early 1980s did not understand the seriousness of the AIDs crisis. As the show progresses over half of the showÔÇÖs characters contract HIV and tragically succumb to the AIDs virus. ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs A SinÔÇØ shows the sobering reality of life as a queer man in the 1980s; highlighting the initial naivety, and resulting fear and grief felt by the LGBTQ+ community. The show does not shy away from highlighting the consequences of the AIDs crisis. Homophobia and exploitation are two of the main themes within the series.

Since the HIV/AIDs crisis in the 1980s, medical research into finding a prevention and cure has excelled, particularly after the introduction of PreP, a medication which prevents the contraction of HIV.

If you have any queries/concerns about your sexual health or how to access PreP medication, please follow the link below for sexual health advice.

https://www.friskywales.org/wales-prep-project.html

Words by Katie Brosnan