Reflection: Philadelphia (1993)

One particular scene that stood out to me was when Miguel gets frustrated with Beckett when they are alone.  He throws the notebook Beckett was writing in and says, "The least you can do is look at me, and give me a little bit of your time."  It's a rather short scene, but after watching it for the second time I noticed that during the dialogue, the camera is looking directly at the speaker as if the audience were in the recipient's shoes.  The whole movie focuses so much on what AIDS is, how AIDS is transmitted, and AIDS discrimination that I was genuinely surprised to see this snippet of Miguel and Beckett interaction.  It's a very subtle dose of pathos, but the scene does have an emotional appeal to it.  You realize that the victim of AIDS is not just Beckett; it also impacts those close to him as well -- his lover and his family.  When Miguel is speaking directly to the camera, you notice how scared he is of losing Beckett.  Even though Miguel understands what Beckett is going through and is trying to support him, he is frustrated with Beckett because of his lack of attention to their relationship.  Beckett replies to Miguel/the audience, "You are worried...we don't have very much time left, now aren't you?"  These are precisely the thoughts that Miguel has in mind, or anyone who knows someone with AIDS.  It plays on the emotional appeal because of how the audience can easily relate to the two characters in the scene.

xkcd: Positive Attitude