Start watching “It's a Sin”, a British series in 5 episodes by Russell T Davies broadcast for the first time free-to-air this Monday, from 9:10 p.m., on France 2, to mark the 30th anniversary of Sidaction, it's to be carried away by a whirlwind of laughter and tears.
The fiction opens with Ritchie's departure for London, where he intends to pursue law studies, not without first having removed the gay magazines hidden in his bedroom cupboard.
In the British capital, the young man meets the exuberant Roscoe and the shy Colin, flirts with the attractive Ash, and befriends the bubbly Jill.
While the joyful troupe is living out its best years, a mysterious and terrifying virus, HIV, begins to make headlines.
In 5 exceptional episodes, the series takes us into homosexual London in the 1980s. A journey not to be missed under any circumstances.
Here's why.
1. Impeccable casting
No false note for Olly Alexander, singer who will represent the United Kingdom at Eurovision.
The one who is also an actor excels in the role of Ritchie.
Lydia West, already seen in “Years and Years” by the same Russell T Davies, gives a moving humanity to the character of Jill, an unsinkable best friend, determined to speak about the epidemic in public in order to raise awareness.
We also find established actors like Neil Patrick Harris, established by the role of Barney Stinson in “How I Met Your Mother”, Keeley Hawes (“Bodyguard”), or Stephen Fry.
2. A dive into the AIDS years
As busy as he is ogling Ash in his drama class, Ritchie barely hears the two students sitting on the neighboring bench talking about the strange cancer detected in 41 men who all died on the same day in New York .
This disease which has not yet spoken its name first strikes a loving couple who have been together for 30 years, then approaches, implacably.
Is it pneumonia?
An infection you get from birds?
“A kind of flu that only kills homosexuals”?
“It's a Sin” tells of the fatal ignorance surrounding the virus, the unworthy treatment of patients, the stigmatization of the gay community, the stubborn and criminal blindness of the authorities.
3. Fury for life on the program
You only need to see Roscoe slamming the door of the family home in a miniskirt and high heels, head held high in the rain, to understand that heroes will not sacrifice their freedom at any price.
They are 18 years old, life ahead of them, dreams in their heads.
Their thirst for life is infectious.
Despite the tightening grip, they will not give up an inch of ground.
Their freedom is priceless.
With them, we are caught up in a whirlwind of emotion.
We laugh, we tremble, we get angry, we vibrate.
4. A fight always necessary
Behind the devastating humor of the main characters, their love stories, their terrible losses and their wonderful friendships, the series serves as a reminder of the extent to which the fight is not over.
New generations may be less aware of the subject than those who lived through the 1980s and 1990s, but AIDS is still there.
Olly Alexander also personally advocates for safer sex and HIV testing.
5. A galvanizing soundtrack
From “Tainted Love”, by Soft Cell to “Call Me”, by Blondie, via “I've Got U Under My Skin” version Neneh Cherry, or “Freedom”, by the group Wham!, and “Sweet Dreams” by Eurythmics, the series also chronicles a decade of music.
And not least!
Fans will still recognize Duran Duran, Kate Bush, Joy Division, Kim Wilde and REM As for the title of the credits, it is borrowed from a cult song by the Pet Shop Boys.
Editor's note:
5/5
"It's a Sin",
British series by Russell T Davies (2021), with Olly Alexander, Omari Douglas, Callum Scott Howells, Nathaniel Curtis, Lydia West, Neil Patrick Harris… (Five episodes of 45 to 55 minutes)