A new trailer for the Cannes favourite 120 BPM (Beats Per Minute) has been released ahead of its release in April. The film is directed by Robin Campillo, and stars Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, Arnaud Valois, Adèle Haenel, Antoine Reinartz, and Ariel Borenstein.
A beautiful, stirring call to action about the AIDS epidemic of the 80s and early 90s, it follows a new romance within a chapter of ACT-UP Paris, the activist group going to battle for those stricken with HIV/AIDS taking on major Pharma companies and the lacklustre government response with bold, invasive protests – embracing their mission with literal life or death urgency. Amid rallies, protests, fierce debates and ecstatic dance parties, the newcomer Nathan falls in love with Sean, the group’s radical firebrand, and their passion sparks against the shadow of mortality as the activists fight for a breakthrough.
Related: 120 BPM (Beats Per Minute) [Cannes 2017]
You can read our review of the film at the end of the link above, but here’s a sprinkling of our thoughts from last year’s Cannes.
The narrative intensifies in more ways than one in the film’s second half, and we witness absolutely astonishing performances from both leads, particularly from Argentinian actor Biscayart who not only brings an emotionally charged energy to his earlier scenes but seemingly undergoes a visible physical transformation in the traumatic third act, a distressing forty minutes featuring some of the best acting we’ve seen so far at the festival. The supporting cast also needs a mention, and while there are too many solid performances to out single out, one must give a nod to the brilliant Adèle Haenel, who we saw deliver another magnificent turn in the otherwise lackluster Cannes entry from last year, The Unknown Girl.
Here’s that new trailer. 120 BPM (Beats Per Minute) arrives in the UK on 6th April, 2018 through Curzon Artificial Eye.
