Phil Zwickler was a journalist, filmmaker, poet and gay activist who produced a prolific body of work in the few short years before his death from AIDS in 1991.
It is a unique view of the pyschological effects of the ravages of AIDS. The direct address and matter of fact tone of the voiceover with an undercurrent of sarcasm and cynicism create a touching, detailed and precise portrait of Phil Zwickler without a single image of him ever appearing.
This film powerfully documents New York City's gay community's response to the AIDS crisis as they are forced to organize themselves after the government's failure to stem the epidemic. Activists who are interviewed include playwrite Larry Kramer, People With AIDS Coalition co-founder Michael Callen (who died of AIDS in 1994), New York filmmaker and journalist Phil Zwickler, as well as representatives from ACT-UP, Queer Nation and the Gay Men's Health Crisis.