Parting Glances (1986)

A bit of a rough indie from the mid-80s, Parting Glances is a relatively light-hearted glimpse into NYC’s gay community early into the AIDS crisis. Following a married couple as they spend their last day together before one leaves on an African work assignment, it touches on themes of love, friendship, and career, all while not shying away from the relatively-new disease rampaging through the community, particularly through one HIV-positive character (an early role for Steve Buscemi). Sadly, this is the director’s only major film as he succumbed to AIDS a few years later; it’s a special film that doesn’t get too pulled down by the sadness and horrors of the disease while not completely ignoring them either.