Dallas Buyers Club (MA)
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leto
IT’S the mid-1980s and Ron Woodroof has just been diagnosed with AIDS, given 30 days to live.
His reaction to the news is one of incredulity and denial as he refuses to accept that a heterosexual like himself could ever contract the virus.
The rodeo cowboy’s response is indicative of the era which defines Dallas Buyers Club, one where information about AIDS is limited and treatment for the disease even more so. Set throughout the caravan parks of Dallas and the unconventional medical centres of Mexico, Dallas Buyers Club weaves a rich narrative tapestry not to be missed.
While never short of a funny quip, Matthew McConaughey’s Ron Woodroof is a fairly unlikeable character at the beginning of the piece. Lashing out at his doctors with homophobic and stubborn remarks, Ron’s rite of passage soon begins when he meets other people who suffer from AIDS and befriends them.
Not least of all Rayon, Ron’s transgender business partner who helps him smuggle unapproved but effective AIDS medication from Mexico into America to sell to other HIV sufferers. Despite charging them $400 to sign up to his ‘Dallas Buyers Club’, Ron genuinely starts to warm to his new friends and the new world he is now a part of, forging a strong partnership with Rayon.
It is upon this landscape that Academy Award winners Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto, as Rayon, work their acting magic. Rayon is pivotal in changing Ron’s perception of AIDs and his outlook on life. As dynamic as McConaughey’s performance is, Leto’s portrayal of Rayon is equal parts impressive and emotive. A moment during the film in which Rayon confronts his estranged father is but one of the stand-outs, in a movie full of poignant moments.
Dallas Buyers Club is a harrowing piece and not for the faint-hearted, but provides viewers with ample reward. The script is intelligent, funny and provocative, acted by a group who embrace it delicately and completely.
Jennifer Garner’s performance as the rogue doctor who helps Ron and Rayon is also not to be understated.
– Lachlan Moorhead
