BPM (Beats per Minute)

In the early 1990s, a group of HIV/AIDS activists associated with the Paris chapter of ACT UP struggle to effect action to fight the AIDS epidemic. The film shows a number of large meetings in a lecture theatre where the radical element demand more direct action and others aim to bring the scientists to meetings where they can get them to communicate results sooner. The film gradually shifts from the political storyline of ACT UP's actions to the personal stories of ACT UP members. Newcomer Nathan, a gay man who doesn't live with HIV, begins to fall in love with the passionate veteran Sean, who is HIV-positive. Nathan and Sean start a sexual relationship, and discuss their sexual histories. Sean got HIV when he was sixteen from his married maths teacher. Sean is already exhibiting signs of the disease's progression and soon his T-cell count is down to 160. Nathan offers to care for Sean as he gets worse. When Sean is released from hospital to Nathan's apartment for end-of-life care, Nathan euthanizes him. ACT UP holds a wake at their home. As per Sean's wishes, later they invade a health insurance conference, throwing his ashes over the conference-goers and their food. The title BPM (Beats per Minute) refers to the rhythm of life and death that persists despite efforts by individuals or governments suppressing this natural order by denying resources necessary for survival - specifically medical treatment accessible only through activism like Act Up! Use your voice while you still have one!!

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Some movies that have similar genres and were produced around the same time as BPM (Beats per Minute) include Still Alice, 3096 Days, Aftersun, The Whale, Beautiful Boy, Close.