Well told history of the beginning of the AIDS crisis in America and the world. It showed the slow and inept response of the Republican lead government. The performances are brilliant. Ensemble cast brings a complicated story, to fruition by showing that AIDS is not merely a disease to study underneath a microscope, but a social typhoon that changed society as a hole. I think they should show this movie in high schools. An influential movie that stops and makes you think. I thought that Alan Alda's portrayal of Dr. Robert Gallo was a great departure from his normal "MASH" fare, I found a new respect for Matthew Modine after seeing his portrayal in this movie. Swoozie Kurtz is only on screen for a brief time, yet she pulls you into her characters desperation, sadness, and anger, at being kept in the dark by her own Dr's. Her Dr's never tell she has AIDS. The stigma of AIDS still stands today. I hope to one day live in a world when AIDS has been eradicated.