No one would take on his case… until one man was willing to take on the system.|Dec. 22, 1993|United States|126 Min.|PG-13
Genre: Drama
Description: Andrew Beckett, a senior associate at Wyant, Wheeler, Hellerman, Tetlow, and Brown, one of Philadelphia’s largest corporate law firms, conceals his homosexuality and his AIDS diagnosis. When a firm partner notices a lesion on Beckett’s forehead, Beckett claims it resulted from a racquetball injury. However, the lesion is a sign of Kaposi’s sarcoma, an AIDS-related condition.
Beckett takes time off work to find ways to hide his lesions. During this period, he completes paperwork for a critical case and instructs his assistants to file it the next day, which is the deadline for the statute of limitations. The following morning, he is informed that the paper copy is missing, and no digital copies are available. The documents are eventually found in an alternate location and filed just in time. Despite this, Beckett is fired by the firm’s partners the next day.
Convinced his dismissal was due to his AIDS diagnosis and sexuality, Beckett seeks legal representation from ten attorneys, including Joe Miller, a personal injury lawyer he previously opposed in a case. Miller initially refuses, fearing he might contract the illness. Afterward, he consults his doctor, who reassures him that HIV cannot spread through casual contact.
Cast director: Jonathan Demme
Cast actor: Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Jason Robards, Mary Steenburgen, Antonio Banderas, Ron Vawter, Robert Ridgely, Charles Napier, Lisa Summerour, Obba Babatundé
Original name: Philadelphia