In May of 1981, the biweekly gay/lesbian news journal New York Native began reporting on rumors of a new “gay cancer”. While unfounded at the time, within a month the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report released the first clinical study on what would become known as AIDS. The next month, The New York Times would later make their first report on AIDS. By 1984, the NYT would publish a report that stated that scientific evidence had come forward that proved that AIDS is transferable via saliva. A costly mistake that would take two years for evidence of the contrary to be released.
By 1986, over 38,000 cases are reported through 85 different countries, and the National Academy of Sciences demanded a 2 billion dollar investment in research and development from the United States government to aid in the fight. The fear brought on from AIDS and the demonization of those who had contracted the illness led to a wide response by evangelical Christians. American preacher Jerry Falwell described AIDS as “God’s punishment for a society that tolerates homosexuals”. This comes a few years after Christian leader Bob Jones III declared that “God’s judgment is going to fall on America as on other societies that allowed homosexuality to become a protected way of life”. Setting the stage for a larger campaign against the queer community, the primary victims of AIDS.
Arthur J. Bressan Jr. began his filmmaking career in the early 1970s focusing on nurturing complex stories interwoven in the genre of gay pornography. Films such as Passing Strangers (1972) tell the story of two men meeting through the means of a personal advertisement in a newspaper, leading to a relationship, learning about their shared outlook on finding connection as gay men. Or Bressan’s 1977 documentary Gay USA, which showcases various Gay Pride parades from five American cities. While also speaking on what can be lost when political establishments sought to challenge the Gay community, with the 1977 Dade County Referendum Vote being held that year. A bill that would have repealed various anti-discrimination laws in Florida.
Buddies (1985) was a project Bressan took on while the effects of AIDS were only beginning to be publicized nationwide. United States President Ronald Reagan had not even uttered the words AIDS by 1985 and wouldn’t until shortly after the film’s release.
Buddies stands as a pioneering film in Queer cinema. Set in the early years of the epidemic, it follows the poignant relationship between David, a young gay man volunteering at a hospital, and Robert, a middle-aged gay man with AIDS. Shot entirely within the confines of a hospital room, the film intimately explores the emotional bond that forms between the two men as they navigate the challenges of illness, isolation, and societal prejudice. The Buddy program was brought about during the early stages of the AIDS pandemic to assist patients with emotional support loneliness. Many patients had little to no contact with family, some of whom would have moved out at very young ages to avoid persecution while at home for their sexuality.
Despite an early apprehension and shyness while meeting, Robert was quick to open up about his life and his mental struggle while dealing with the disease. Opening David’s eyes to the community that supports him while he deals with the effects of AIDS along with those who continue to fear the disease and the stigma against patients. In one scene, David presents Robert with some of his writings on AIDS within the Queer community. Robert is incensed when reading that religious groups that espouse damnation rhetoric are also published in the same periodical as David, showing Robert that even those who will publish positive messages for the fight against AIDS will still platform heinous ideas from those akin to Jerry Falwell and Bob Jones.
A powerful scene is when we see Robert show David footage from Gay Pride events. He tells David about how Pride parades are meaningful for the queer community because it’s their “one day a year to get riled up”. However, he also sees it as a day where the “straights can join in too”. It’s understandable that those who don’t fight the same fight for representation joining one day a year to walk alongside can leave a negative connotation for Robert, seeing as he sits and waits for treatment every day and doesn’t feel seen by large swaths of the community of activists.
When David is interviewed by a reporter about being a buddy, he immediately begins with humanizing Robert. Showcasing that the meaning behind being a buddy is about the connection with the patient and less about the title as Buddy. The next morning, David receives a call from his mother who sees the article in the paper which gets a full page. David, less interested in her thoughts, wants to ensure that both Robert’s picture is featured and that the Gay Center’s address is featured for those who seek information or support with AIDS.
While David returns to the hospital to show Robert the article, he finds an empty bed. Robert had died in his sleep that morning. He had died before he could see the impact his words could have, people had listened to his story and the message he wanted to be heard. The film ends with David holding a sign outside of the White House in D.C. saying “AMERICA, AIDS IS NOT A GAY ILLNESS. IT’S EVERYBODY’S PROBLEM RELEASE ALL THE MONEY FOR RESEARCH AND CARE”.
Two years after the release of Buddies, Arthur J. Bressan Jr. would also succumb to AIDS himself at the age of 44. His legacy carried by his sister Roe Bressan and film historian Jenni Olsen by creating The Bressan Project. They led the charge to restore and republish the films of Bressan. As for myself, I discovered Buddies through the release Vinegar Syndrome distributed in 2018. I could not be more moved by the works of Bressan and the incredible stories he was able to tell in such a short amount of time.
In the coming years, hundreds of thousands more would die as a result of AIDS and lack of support from state and federal governments. The legacy of those who fought the disease until the end is felt through powerful art such as Buddies. The mainstream would see the success of the film Philadelphia (1993) which would see Tom Hanks win his first Oscar for playing lawyer Andrew Beckett who was fired for having AIDS. Showcasing the lengthy legal battle for restitution while his fight with AIDS lingers on.
Buddies will remain the first full-length film to discuss the AIDS epidemic. It will forever depict a snapshot of American life before the victims were refused recognition by government officials. This film is a reminder that those who suffer can have their voices heard from the darkest corners to the highest peaks.
The FilmSpot 