Movie Review: Dallas Buyers Club

People who are suicidal and feeling depressed and sorry for their themselves should watch Dallas Buyers Club before they slash their wrists or jump on the rails of the MRT! They should be ashamed of themselves.

The characters portrayed by Oscar winners, Matthew McConnaughey and Jared Leto, have also as much right to kill themselves and feel sorry for themselves, but do they curse God for their fate or shoot themselves in the head? Nope, they decided to choose life, and to live just a little bit longer, even if the doctor told Matthew's character, Ron Woodruff, that he had only 30 more days to live.

Jared's character, Rayon, is not far worse off as he plays a drug-addicted HIV+ transgender named Rayon. With almost no one taking care of him at the lowest point in his life, and shunned by his family, he still chose to share his AZT medicines with other people who were dying, and he always appeared cheerful and pretty, whenever he can.

The scene where he asks help from his Dad and the scene where he gives all his remaining money to Ron, are beautiful and heartbreaking. For Jared's character to be grateful and generous when his own family thinks he's a worthless piece of s*** speaks volumes as to who really is the generous one in his family.

The scene when the two first meet in the hospital is just a joy to watch! A homophobe macho man and a transgender - together - in a hospital ward! Just great! I love the way Rayon's character tries to bond with Ron here using cards as an icebreaker.

I'm sure it was tough for Ron, that's why Matthew portrays him as angry, really angry. I don't fault him for that, because even the FDA was giving people who were dying, like him, no possible legal avenues to live, even just a little bit longer.

And live he did, for seven more years - even if it meant smuggling drugs from abroad, just so he can give many people like him, who were dying of AIDS, a little bit of time, to live just a little bit longer.

I admire Ron's spirit for never giving up. I admire that he allowed a transgender person into his life and become his partner in business. In his previous pre-AIDS life, people like Rayon, would never have been part of his macho Texan life.

Although in real life, many of his friends said he wasn't a homophobe, in the movie, he is portrayed as one, I think, just for dramatic effect.