Freeview film of the day: Dallas Buyers Club

Dallas Buyers Club ★★★★
11.25pm-1.45am 5STAR

Based on the true story of Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey), a Texas electrician who in the 1980s is told he has HIV and 30 days to live. How come? He is a bawdy, rampant heterosexual, even a touch homophobic, not at this stage a particularly nice person. How did he get HIV, then regarded as something that affected only gays? More importantly, what’s to be done? There was little treatment for HIV at that time so Ron took matters into his own hands, searching the world for alternative, even banned, therapies and smuggling them into Dallas, for his own use and also that of others similarly afflicted. Thereafter, conflict with the medical profession and government agencies was inevitable. It’s a touching, often funny story distinguished by Oscar-winning performances by McConaughey (best actor) and Jared Leto (best supporting actor) as a transgender HIV victim.