BY VASHALI TOURANI
Staff Writer
5 stars

In the 1980s, AIDS was a rapidly growing epidemic. Thousands were diagnosed, and without the advancement of medicine, there wasn’t much that could be done. Jean-Marc Vallée’s Dallas Buyers Club tells the story of Ron Woodroof who becomes a victim of the deadly virus in 1985 and is told that he has a month to live. Woodroof refuses to accept his supposedly approaching death, or the limited treatment options offered by the local hospital, exclaiming, “I’d rather die with my boots on.” He consequently does all he can to survive, such as smuggling medication into the U.S from foreign countries. With an unlikely ally who also has AIDS, named Rayon, he forms a buyers club and begins selling the supplies to the H.I.V. positive. Ultimately, the film delivers greatly with its level of realism and emotionality. With a talented cast including Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto, this heavy film is easily one of the best this season.