Philadelphia ⁞⁞ Queer Classics

The Academy Award-winning 1993 drama Philadelphia centers on Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks), a lawyer stricken with HIV who hides his status from his job, fearing his career may be compromised given his status as a senior associate at Philadelphia's largest corporate law firm. However, when one of his colleagues spies lesions, a noticeable symptom of the disease, he ends up fired after the firm blames him for a legal filing mishap that Beckett believes was a setup. Beckett looks to fight back with a lawsuit for discrimination, but finds few options when it comes to legal representation, given his condition. Recalling him from a previous case, Beckett reaches out to small time lawyer Joe Miller (Denzel Washington), who ends up taking his case, despite his own ignorant fears about AIDS and homosexuals. The two overcome Miller's homophobia and the decline in Beckett's medical condition to come together in court.

The legal proceedings draw the attention of the media, as activists clash outside the courthouse. Beckett is surrounded by his loving, supportive family and his partner Miguel Alvarez (Antonio Banderas) throughout the case. With Beckett's health continuing to decline into AIDS, he faces his former colleagues and his bosses in the courtroom, all while keeping a positive attitude. Miller fights tirelessly on Beckett's behalf as their relationship transforms into friendship with them spending more time together outside of the courtroom, as Miller sees parallels in Beckett's case to racial discrimination he's experienced. The defense team attempts to villainize Beckett and his homosexuality. Beckett collapses in the courtroom and is rushed to the hospital as his condition worsens. In the end, the jury votes in Beckett's favor, awarding him damages totaling over $5 million. Miller celebrates with the hospitalized Beckett, who passes away that night. Miller joins Beckett's loved ones at his memorial service to end the film.

  

Queer Classics Film Facts: 

• Many historians and gay rights activists credit the film as the first major motion picture to tackle the AIDS epidemic from a gay man's perspective, bringing awareness to the issue and working towards lessening the stigma attached to the disease. 
• Tom Hanks won his first of four Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 1994 for his role as Andrew Beckett. He would make history as only the second actor ever to win the same award back-to-back, for his performance in Forrest Gump the following year. The film won one additional Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song which went to Bruce Springsteen for his song "Streets of Philadelphia."
• The film was the 1994 GLAAD Media Award winner for Outstanding Film.
• Philadelphia was written by Ron Nyswaner, who would later pen the scripts for the queer dramas Soldier's Girl, Freeheld, My Policeman, and Fellow Travelers.
• Antonio Banderas would return to queer cinema with his starring role in 2019's Pain and Glory. 
• The film's script is partially based on a real discrimination case from the 1980s when Geoffrey Bowers a young lawyer who, like Beckett, had visible lesions that led his employers to fire him, despite high marks on performance evaluations. That case took six years to reach a resolution. The Bowers case is noted in the film's credits. 
• Jonathan Demme stated that he was inspired to direct the film after his friend, illustrator Juan Suárez Botas was diagnosed with AIDS.
• Actor Ron Vawter was cast as Bob Seidman, one of the members of Beckett's firm who is among those named in the lawsuit. Vawter himself was HIV-positive when he was cast in the film. Director Jonathan Demme fought to have Vawter included in the film when the movie studio attempted to block his casting due to worries about insurance coverage. In the film, Seidman is the only member of the firm who shows sympathy for Beckett's condition.
• The movie features the film debut of Chandra Wilson who appears as one of Beckett's close friends in multiple scenes. Wilson is best known to audiences for her starring role on the medical drama Grey's Anatomy, which has featured multiple queer characters and actors over the course of the series.
• While Denzel Washington appears as a straight character in this film, his character Macrinus in 2024's Gladiator II was said to be bisexual.