Dallas Buyers Club

★★★★★ Independent
★★★★ Guardian
★★★★ Time Out

The multi Academy Award winning Dallas Buyers Club sees Matthew McConaughey play Ron Woodroof, a carefree party animal whose life is rocked to the core when he contracts HIV from a one-night stand.

As Ron faces up to his condition, he begins to explore the medical options available to him, finding out that not only is the US government actively preventing HIV patients from accessing certain treatments, but it is also colluding with the pharmaceutical industry to prescribe expensive and harmful ones.

There are shades of Erin Brockovich in this David and Goliath story, but it’s a measure of his brilliance that director Jean-Marc Vallée keeps us guessing how it will play out. And McConaughey will surely be clearing some shelf space this awards season for a performance that will move viewers to tears, without resorting to sentiment or ever asking them for pity.

Winner: Oscar 2014 Best Actor Matthew McConaughey
Winner: Oscar 2014 Best Supporting Actor Jared Leto