Silverlake Life: The View from Here

A landmark documentary since it was the first time a film both documented and intimately exposed viewers to the ravages of AIDS. When filmmaker Tom Joslin and his long-time lover Mark Massi were both diagnosed with AIDS, Joslin decided to shoot a video diary. This film combines the intimacy and urgency of a dying man’s diary with his striking visual style. As Joslin’s strength began to fail, filmmaker Peter Friedman took over the project and completed the film. Silverlake Life is a unique gay couple's harrowing record of the disease told from the time they were diagnosed to their deaths. The unflinching camera and the probing honesty with which the pair talk make for a unique first-hand journal and a deeply moving experience. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)