The  main character in Philadelphia, Andrew Beckett, works as a lawyer. We first meet him on a trial  concerning the construction of a new neighborhood,  where he clearly appears as a brilliant, aggressive  professional. 

We immediately know that he is affected by AIDS . His family, especially  his mother is extraordinarily kind ; and his boss, Charles Wheeler, is delighted with his job and therefore offers him partnership at the firm. He doesn't know yet that Andrew is using vacation time to visit doctors. He is even forced to live a lie at work claiming a skin lesion is a  bruise. 

Andrew thinks he is doing a very good job until the day when a vital file disappears mysteriously while he's at the hospital. After that he is  fired for incompetence. As he trusts the law, he decides to sue. This proves harder than he expected.  Nobody wants to take his case except a lawyer called Joe Miller. At first, Miller is reluctant, because he doesn't  like homosexuals and he is afraid of AIDS. He even goes to the doctor's. 

One day, they meet at the library where they finally join to prepare the case. Andy and his partner Miguel visit Andy's family  to ask for their support. At the trial Miller claims that they fired  Andrew Beckett because he was homosexual and he had AIDS and so they broke the law. 

The other party maintains that the illness was affecting dramatically the quality of his work. The trial goes on and Andrew’s health deteriorates. So, he decides to prepare for the inevitable. At this part of the film we are conscious of the really valuable things in life. After some useless attempts to discredit Andrew's reputation, the jury decides in his favor. 

Andrew is about to die at the hospital. Everybody is happy because they have won the case but also sad because they are not going to be with him again.
 

authors: Anna Laura Miralles and Eva Velasco

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