‘BPM (Beats Per Minute)’ Trailer: Cannes-Winning AIDS Drama is France’s Powerhouse Oscar Entry

“The Square” may have won the Palme d’Or at Cannes earlier this year, but Robin Campillo’s “BPM (Beats Per Minute)” was by far and away the critics’ favorite. The drama ended up with the Grand Prix, the second most prestigious honor at the festival, and now The Orchard is bringing it to U.S. theaters as France’s official Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language Film.

The official synopsis reads: “The organization is ACT UP, and its members, many of them gay and HIV-positive, embrace their mission with a literal life-or-death urgency. Amid rallies, protests, fierce debates and ecstatic dance parties, the newcomer Nathan falls in love with Sean, the group’s radical firebrand, and their passion sparks against the shadow of mortality as the activists fight for a breakthrough.”

Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, Arnaud Valois, and “The Unknown Girl” breakout Adèle Haenel lead the cast. “BPM” opens in select theaters October 20. Watch the trailer below.