Philadelphia is a 1993 film revolving around HIV/AIDS, homosexuality and prevailing attitudes concerning gays and homophobia. It was written by Ron Nyswaner and directed by Jonathan Demme. The film stars Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Joanne Woodward, Jason Robards, Antonio Banderas, Lisa Summerour, Chandra Wilson, Ron Vawter, and Mary Steenburgen. It was inspired by the story of Geoffrey Bowers, an attorney who in 1987 sued the law firm Baker & McKenzie for unfair dismissal in one of the first AIDS discrimination cases.

Plot

The movie tells the story of Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks), an easygoing homosexual senior associate at the largest corporate law firm in Philadelphia. Although he lives with his partner Miguel Alvarez (Banderas), Beckett hides his homosexuality and his status as a person living with AIDS from the other members of the law firm. On the day he is assigned the firm's newest and most important case, a partner in the firm notices a small lesion on Beckett's forehead. Although he attributes the lesion to a racquetball injury, it is actually due to Kaposi's Sarcoma, a form of cancer marked by multiple tumors on the lymph nodes and skin. Shortly thereafter, Beckett stays home from work for several days to try to find a way to hide his lesions. While at home, he finishes the paperwork for the case he has been assigned and then brings it to his office, leaving instructions for his assistants to file the paperwork on the following day, which marks the end of the statute of limitations for the case. Later that morning, he receives a frantic call asking for the paperwork, as the paper copy cannot be found and there are no copies on the computer's hard drive. However, the paperwork is finally discovered in an alternate location and is filed with the court at the last possible moment. The following day, Beckett is dismissed by the firm's partners, who had previously referred to him as their "friend."