“We felt like every day was wonderful and anything could happen.” Rich and distinguished stories unfold among the lives of long-term survivors who have learned how to celebrate, heal, love, and thrive after the devastation of the early AIDS crisis. In this cathartic and intimate documentary, eight men look back on their experiences and then toward the future with the strength and resiliency they have cultivated over the past 30 years.

Survivors are still affected by the trauma of not only their diagnosis but also the loss of community and way of life. Nobody knew they would grow old with AIDS. Many abandoned careers and went on long-term disability to wait out their death sentence, and now they face an uncertain economic future. As they age, and as the Castro neighborhood changes, long-term survivors are also creating new ways to connect, and to find meaning and community. This meditative documentary, the first full-length film produced by the San Francisco Chronicle, draws attention to the emotional and inspiring history of the city’s gay community in the post-AIDS era.

PRECEDED BY:

1985

DIR Yen Tan 2015 USA 9 min Adrian, a man with AIDS, is about to move in with his estranged mother. There’s one problem: he wants to hide his symptoms, so he makes a home appointment with a beauty consultant.