Philadelphia (1993)

Director: Jonathan Demme

Star Cast: Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Mary Steenburgen, Antonio Banderas 

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 2h 5m

 7.5/10

In 1993, AIDS was the synonym of death. It claimed many lives but it took Hollywood a decade to address the issues surrounding this disease.

'Philadelphia' was the first major Hollywood film highlighting the discrimination faced by the people who were suffering from AIDS. There are many underlying themes that this film tries to bring to viewers' notice like the sexual orientation of people, discrimination at the workplace, and the stigma around the disease. It uses the courtroom drama approach for raising some important questions and issues.

Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) is an excellent and spirited lawyer. Impressed by his skills, the firm hands over him an extremely important case. But one day they fire him without any notice or proper justification. Beckett decides to challenge the law firm in court with the help of counselor Joe Miller (Denzel Washington) for the wrongful termination and discrimination against him.

Tom Hanks as Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia (1993)

The film handles the associated social issues in a very grounded way without any controversy. Jonathan Demme, the director, is aware of the objectives of the film and creates a believable and inspiring film. He allows the audience to feel what his characters are feeling. Tom Hanks gives a phenomenal performance. In one scene when Miller and Beckett were discussing how they would proceed in the next hearing, Beckett increases the volume of opera being played in the background and starts to explain its meaning to Miller. This particular scene hits so hard that as a viewer we dive into the ocean of emotions with Beckett who loves his life so much and don't want to die.

Denzel Washington gives an exceptionally genuine performance. His character hates homosexuals but when he saw Beckett on one occasion in a library realises that no one deserves discrimination. You can see the changes in his behaviour and his thinking throughout the film. It's his mature acting skills that make even simple dialogues far more effective. The dialogues are thoughtful and very well written that can change the tone of a scene instantly.

Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington outside the court in Philadeplhia (1993)

What I liked the most about this film is that it doesn't forcefully try to make you agree with any ideology like most of the films nowadays (because that doesn't solve the issue instead makes it worse). It presents everything in a balanced and sensible way without an overdose of any woke propaganda. As a viewer, we understand the message that the film tries to convey.

This film lacks suspense considering that it's a courtroom drama. This could be a disappointing aspect for some viewers. Although a few scenes of the film hit hard, a part of it feels less effective as well. But in no way does this affect its overall objective at the end.

When the world is facing a pandemic today, all of us need to realise that nobody deserves discrimination in any way. I would recommend this film to everyone because in one way or another this film tries to bring something good out of us all.