PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Alex Heaton (azanti0029) No one who tries to tell the story of four decades of the struggle of LGBT issues in America is ever going to be able to please anyone but Lance Dustin Black has a damn good try with 'When We Rise' - While we have seen films on Harvey Milk and the HIV epidemic, nothing has ever been attempted on this scale before. It is a sweeping and sprawling story which works well not only as a historical signpost for those want to dig further but telling the more intimate story of the three protagonists, all of whom found themselves becoming unwilling activists in the struggle to fight gay prejudice and homophobia in America. Based partly on the writings of Cleve Jones, the story follows the journeys of Roma Guy, a young woman struggling to come to terms with her orientation, Ken Jones, an African-American ex-navy man and Cleve Jones himself, a young gay man who having come out to his father has flees to the new gay mecca in California. Each character is played by two different actors, a younger and old version (As are some of supporting characters) Though this is slightly disorientating considering the time span of the show it would have been ambitious to achieve this through make- up. All three gravitate towards San Francisco and we follow their lives through the initial struggles to fight prejudice in their own city through the AIDS era and the fight for gay marriage in the supreme court. One of the strengths of the show is the unique perspective each of these characters brings to the story. Roma sets up a women's center but has to find her own battles dealing with the divisions within and help Cleve unite them all together against both political and health issues. Much of this maybe old news to those who lived it but it made me want to read more about it. Older versions of the characters narrate us through parts of the history but thankfully this is kept to the minimum and I am glad this was told as a straight up drama. The episodes covering the AIDS era are the most heartbreaking to watch, reminding us again how so many lives were taken in such a short space of time. Though all the characters fight one battle after the next, it is the story of Ken Jones which feels the most tragic of all (If your reading this Ken, I so seriously want to give you a hug right now) Fighting both gay prejudice from within his community and the gay community. One thing the series dispels is that San Fran was not the easy gay mecca in the 1970s that we were led to believe. It was in the beginnings incredibly divided and then when it started to find its own identity it was devastated by the HIV epidemic. Although I enjoyed the entire show it worked best in the earlier segments, this was largely thanks to performances by the incredibly talented younger cast. Emily Skeggs played Roma Guy with a genuine sense of panic that she must have felt in her younger years while Jonathon Majors as a fragile Ken Jones portrays his sense of loss with great truth. But it is Austin P McKenzie as the younger Cleve Jones who really makes his mark. In the scene where the names of those fallen to AIDS are placed on San Francisco are placed on the walls of the city hall 'Remember their names...' he cries out with such sincere conviction you feel the weight of the emotion on Jones in that moment, with McKenzie taking you there with every word. I predict big things for this young man. The older cast all give solid performances with Guy Pearce getting older Cleve Jones mannerisms down to a tee and there is great support from a number of very capable newer actors in the cast in the form of Ivory Aquino, Justin Sams, Adam DiMarco, Nick Eversman, T.R Knight and Charles Socarides (Is he related to the character he plays?) Although I watched the show with the adverts removed the numbers of fades to black in each episode was incredibly distracted and often disrupted the emotional flow of scenes and moments in the show. It's a bit minor gripe, but these kinds of fades are really not needed for advertising these days and were distracting.That aside I found this a highly engaging, entertaining, emotionally charged and informative piece which I know I will show my children one day. It won't please everyone I am sure, but Black is to be commended for bringing such a show to television when America is more divided than it has ever been. If there was ever a time for a history lesson on the subject, it is certainly now. As Cleve Jones says at one point 'What is your generation going to do now?'

Suradit A laudable undertaking. I appreciated that several notable actors took part, some like David Hyde Pierce and Rob Reiner who took on roles portraying characters with views obviously contrary to their own were amusing in their absurdity.I did feel at times it was spread a little thin with several loosely connected stories transpiring simultaneously. And so many exchanges between characters involved lectures or philosophical statements being hurled at one another (and us) rather than allowing events to make the arguments being espoused. Having a casual first encounter in a gay bar immediately result in a lengthy lecture on Stonewall, as one of many examples, seemed overly awkward and staged. Definitely, if historically accurate, the production underscored how divided and divisive the various support groups and their leaders were. It seemed often that the more formidable obstacles to progress came from within rather than from outside the movement.Certainly there are documentaries or docudramas that better portray some of the individual seminal events in LGBTQIA history, but this attempt to connect it all was worthwhile. Whether or not it would hold the interest of viewers unfamiliar with this aspect of American history, and those most in need of being exposed to it, is another matter.

PippinInOz This is superb. I have just finished watching the entire series andfeel very emotional and moved by the entire experience. I am a straight woman. So if you are reading about this series and are not a member of the LGBT community, please watch it. The acting is first class throughout, what you may know already as little 'soundbites' from the news and documentaries are given their personal and human context. I was cheering them on all through their struggles the injustices and the protests. I loved these characters and think you might too.This is an important piece of television for many reasons. Firstly, these are ordinary people doing courageous extraordinary things. There is a lesson there for all of us who care about human rights and equality, regardless of our gender or sexual persuasion. Secondly, in days like these, it reminds all of us just how much of a battle the LGBT community has had to fight (and continues to fight - particularly in certain parts of the World) for respect and equality. A better World does not come from doing nothing. Whether you feel strongly about workers' rights, (which I do), the environment.....you will feel in awe of what these people both had to suffer - and what they have achieved. Respect! Highly recommended.

lassonias Same old, same old. I've always admired Cleve Jones and all he's done, but just like so much "gay" programming, it's all about the gay male experience. Lesbians are incidental. I am waiting for a lesbian history docudrama, with women who look, act, and have lives like real lesbians. How about a docudrama about Jean Jullien? Or Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon? Or women's music? Just as men have co-opted American culture and made men the "default, normal" they are now co-opting the LGBTQ history and experience. Sexism is just as alive and well within portrayals of the "gay" community as everywhere else.