The Event

i heard of the movie by chance and caught it while it played (it was only here for a week). i had to go by myself because no one else would go with me. but i did, and i'm glad i did. what an amazing movie. it moved me in ways i never believed possible. i went because of don. i knew little of the plot. an old couple left mid-way through the movie. why? it was hard to watch. it was a hard concept to swallow. i cared about the characters from the start. when the sister reacted to her brother's news of his infection it hit me harder than a bus could have. that's the reaction i would have had.

it was a hard topic to deal with, but it was done so properly and it ws very beautiful. the acting, the filming, the writing, it drew emotion out of people.

it really is a must see. i can't wait for it to be released for home-viewing. bravo

A excellent film. The Event put a human face on what for many is only a social tragedy and statistics they encounter through the media. The director, Thom Fitzgerald, is due substantial credit for, while not opting for dramatic gimmicks and attempting to create a believable story, putting something togehter that neither collapsed into portraiture nor drolled on into docudrama. The cast performed well also in these regards with a luminous Olympia Dukakis bringing the import of the story front and center. A deeply touching film. Secondarily this film serves as a grave warning in particular to 17-24 year old men, a segment where the HIV infection rate has climbed dramatically during the past couple of years. Many such young men consider AIDS to be a managable disease and not a death sentence and forget that the side effects of many cocktails can all too easily include severe headaches, memory loss and dementia leaving infected individuals with a quality of life that is, in director Fitzgerald's words (who spoke after the film showing at the Quad Cinema in the West Village after the early evening showing on Oct 3) `just not there.' So, find out where this film is being played and go see it!

I was fortunate enough to see this film at the Sundance Film Festival, and while I was ostensibly in Park City for skiing, this film will stand out in my memory as the high point of the trip. Poignant, heartfelt, authentic, beautifully acted, outstanding direction, incredible script - I could go on...

When the director of the film came out to address the audience before the screening, he commented about all the love that went into this film. This "touchy-feely" stuff tends to make me a bit uneasy, but in fact, every frame of this picture showed that love.

This film is so utterly honest with it's subject - a gay man dying of AIDS, post 9/11 - that you wonder how a film like "Philadelphia" is still regarded in such high esteem. As a gay man, I felt "Philadelphia" was fraudulent - unreal - pure Hollywood sap. (I won't ever forget the scene when Hank's character, covered with KS lesions, is handed a newborn baby to cuddle. Yeah, that'd happen...)

If you want the real thing, check out this amazing, wonderful film - we now just have to pray this masterpiece finds a distributor.

The auditorium I saw this film in at Sundance probably held 1500 people. There wasn't a dry eye in the house.

I came to this film via Thom Fitzgerald's earlier work, the mostly comic pseudo-documentary "Beefcake," so I was unprepared for the many-layered drama of "The Event." There have been a lot of films about gay men with AIDS, most of which are earnest and predictable, but "The Event" is definitely surprising in its story. It is easy to identify with the various points of view in the film, and that raises the viewer's stakes considerably. And what an indie dream of a cast! I viewed this DVD via NETFLIX which inexplicably -- considering their trove of Grade Z films about gay people -- doesn't stock "Beefcake." Thom Fitzgerald doesn't do the same old same old -- for which, hats off and Thanks!

Thom Fitzgerald has done a wonderful job directing this film. By twenty minutes into the movie I cared about the characters. There's nothing pretentious or annoying about this movie, however the ending shocked me totally. I was not prepared for the ending. I heard sniffles when the credits rolled and when I walked out on to the sidewalk after leaving the theatre I felt stunned. I had no idea that local actor Walter Borden was in the movie -- a definite added attraction. But I don't want to say who does a better job in acting than others as I totally believe the movie is superb just the way it is.

This is a movie I would prefer to attend alone so no one will talk to me throughout the film. Without sounding like an owl, the ending shocked the pants off me. I thought I figured it out, but was w-a-y off. Thom Fitzgerald: take a bow.