The Normal Heart (2014)

That poster: a paper heart, folded like origami, completely shattered and crumpled — grey, broken, geometric fragments on a cold concrete background. "THE NORMAL HEART" in blazing red over the wreckage. It's the most honest poster I've ever seen for a film. A heart that tried to be normal in a world that refused it. Larry Kramer's fury and grief, Ryan Murphy's direction, and performances from Mark Ruffalo and Matt Bomer that physically hurt to witness. This film made me angry in the best possible way — the kind of anger that makes you want to ACT, to show up, to never be silent.

This film should be MANDATORY viewing for every single person alive. The AIDS crisis claimed hundreds of thousands of lives while Ronald Reagan couldn't even say the word for years. THE NORMAL HEART is a rage letter written in grief and it burns through the screen. Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer, Jim Parsons, Taylor Kitsch — all extraordinary. But it's Matt Bomer's physical transformation and the raw anguish he brings that breaks me every single time. We are still here because people fought. We remember what was done to our community and we will NEVER let the world forget.