This movie didn't seen very promising to me. But I started to watch (1 of my bunch movies to watch). In the beginning I didn't understand why they would do something to somebody you love so much. But at the end... I would do the same!!! I felt what the family and friends felt. You always think, it will never happens to me. but if you see this movie it comes very close to you, just like it happens to one of you family member. Fantastic acting and with a good casting crew... The movies of Thom Fitzgerald are not well know, but they should be... A well deserved 7 out of 10!!!greets, GameBelgium

I came to this film via Thom Fitzgerald's earlier work, the mostly comic pseudo-documentary "Beefcake," so I was unprepared for the many-layered drama of "The Event." There have been a lot of films about gay men with AIDS, most of which are earnest and predictable, but "The Event" is definitely surprising in its story. It is easy to identify with the various points of view in the film, and that raises the viewer's stakes considerably. And what an indie dream of a cast! I viewed this DVD via NETFLIX which inexplicably -- considering their trove of Grade Z films about gay people -- doesn't stock "Beefcake." Thom Fitzgerald doesn't do the same old same old -- for which, hats off and Thanks!

Only one thing saves The Event from being a total loss; Olympia Dukakis! When she is on screen, the warmth of her being and the grace of her acting temporarily convince you that this is a good movie. She plays a pivotal character and she packs an arsenal of subtle and powerful emotion!Unfortunately, there are many, many minutes of film dealing with the other characters, most of whom have a faceless, gray presence that gets annoyingly boring. They are not helped by an episodic, way too long screenplay and episodic and short-on-creativity directing. The climax of the film is genuinely moving (thanks mostly to Dukakis), but it takes so long to get there that you feel cheated that you didn't care more for these characters during the balance of the film. The little coda after the climax is unconvincing and unsatisfying.Lots of unnecessary pop songs intrude along the way. Parker Posey is the only other actress to induce any sparks. If you can wade through the slow spots, its worth seeing for Dukakis; but barely.

I just got home from seeing this at the 2003 San Francisco ILGFF. It is an extremely powerful movie by the director of The Hanging Garden and Beefcake. There are some familiar faces like Olympia Dukakis, Parker Posey, and Jane Leeves (Frasier's Daphne Moon). The Event shows many different sides of the issue and does not impose an opinion on you. You will leave the theater discussing the issues and characters with your friends. And that's the mark of a good movie. I don't want to spoil it, just go see it!