1989's 'Longtime Companion' was a groundbreaking film; the first film dealing with the subject of AIDS to gain a full theatrical release. The title is taken from a headline that appeared in the New York Times, and was a description given to the deceased partner of a person living with AIDS who'd recently passed away.
Rather than focusing on just one person, the movie has an ensemble cast which deals with the discovery and then outbreak of the AIDS epidemic as seen through many people in the gay community at the time, showing how the impact of the disease affected not only gay couples, but also their friends and loved ones. A full decade elapses over the film's running time, meaning that we get to see both the short and long term effects of lost love and lost friends.