For those who wish to know how The Normal Heart (the film) came about, read the chapter about it in Barbra Streisand's recently published autobiography. She was the one who first bought the rights after seeing the play and Larry Kramer was (initially) thrilled that she was interested in turning the play into a film. But then, of course, he became demanding and impossible to work with because of his abrasive, combative, and irrational personality and the deal between them fell through. (He even ridiculously threatened to sue Streisand at one point.) Kramer was adept at infighting and alienating others and often did more harm than good in the early fight against AIDS. Whether it was those within the gay community or his lovers, Kramer was known to alienate those in his life. Streisand has some interesting things to say about him, all of it true. (It was also Streisand who originally cast Mark Ruffalo and Julia Roberts in their roles, not Ryan Murphy.)
Review of The Normal Heart
