This weeks assignment is to write about movies on HIV/AIDS. I watched three different movies and I really only enjoyed one of them. I watched Silverlake Life: The View From Here by Tom Joslin and Peter Friedman. This particular movie was given high marks by the Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly and Newsweek. In my opinion it was given these ratings because it chronicled the life of a gay man dying with AIDS. Anyone with any life sense knows that dying a slow death is not easy. Anyone with any bit of education knows that a dying person is not a pretty site. To me this is what the movie represented. I do respect the fact that Tom Joslin wanted his life to be a lesson for those who continue to deny that HIV is not an epidemic. I think he also wanted viewers to feel the heartache of watching someone die so that they will step up to the plate and make a difference in fighting this virus (Joslin, T. & Friedman, P. 1993).
The second movie I watched was called Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. I thought this movie was a little better than the last. It wasn't as dark. The movie gave information on how the Quilt came to be, the significance behind it, and several lives and their personal stories who are now remembered on the Quilt (Epstein & Friedman, 1898). Although there was saddness in watching this movie, I felt it served a purpose of informing the viewers about how the public became educated on HIV and how those individuals became infected. I thought the movie also educated the public on the magnitude of the epidemic.
The third movie I watched was called The Age of AIDS by David Fanning. This movie was like a time line of information on HIV/AIDS. I thought it was pretty good and nicely put together. Although there were no dead bodies clearly visible you knew that many of those in the movie would die. This time line of information gave insite into everyones role during the first decade of HIV/AIDS (Fanning, 2006). I would watch this movie again and recommend it to others interested in finding more information about HIV/AIDS.
I think watching these movies helped me to grow in my knowledge of HIV/AIDS by making me realize how important family and friends are. It seemed to me that all three movies showed how emotional and supportive family and friends were for those infected with HIV/AIDS. I also got a feel for how important it is for us to work for the better good, fight for what is right, and to not give up like those who battled the government, the pharmaceutical companies, and the virus.
My tidbit of information comes from the AMA Morning Rounds from the American Medical Association. In their newsletter dated Sept. 21, 2009, the AP (Associated Press) reported on Sept. 19th, 2009 that Abbott Laboratories has a new HIV test that "detects both types of the virus that causes AIDS" (AMA, 2009). Apparently HIV types 1 and 2 can be detected with the Abbott Prism HIV O Plus test and is "used to test donated blood and organs" (AMA, 2009).
Epstein, R & Friedman, J. (Directors), Couture, B., Epstein, R., & Friedman, J.
(Producers). (1989). Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt [Motion
Picture]. USA: Telling Pictures, Inc.
Fanning, David (producer). (2006). The Age of AIDS {Motion picture]. United States:
FRONTLINE/WGBH Educational Foundation.
Joslin, T, & Friedman, P. (Producers/Directors). (1993). Silverlake Life: The View From
Here [Motion picture]. United States: New Video Group.
Web: AMA (2009, Sept 21), Retrieved Sept. 21, 2009, from
http://webmail.att.net/wmc/enUS/v/wm/4AB78997000CCDOC.....
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I watched some of those movies too and my favorite was "Silverlake Life". Even though it was the most graphic and disturbing, it was the one that was the most memorable and had the most impact on me. My least favorite was "And the Band Played On" which you haven't watched yet. It was so long and I couldn't pay attention because I just wanted it to be over. Not that it wasn't a good portrayal of some of the government involvement with HIV and AIDS but it wasn't very exciting to me at all.
ReplyDeleteYou are the second person that has said they liked Silverlake the best. I mostly watch comedy movies and shows at home. Maybe it has to do with my taste in movies. Oh well. Maybe you enjoy the storyline but I like the history/factual information? What was the third movie you watched?
ReplyDeleteSilverlake Life affected me so much. It was so disturbing but so moving at the same time. I understand why the film had to be made because it really gave me a look of what really happens to a person, not just what I can read in books and articles.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite movie was the Common Threads movie. It touched me to the point of tears, because it put a face on HIV. It showed 5 different peoples stories. That they were just living their life. A good life when this crippling disease came and destroyed it. David's story and the fact that he contracted it as a child and didn't even live to go to high school.
ReplyDeleteWe have been testing for both viruses for years now, so I don't know why this Abbott new tidbit is so news worthy. Perhaps it is because it is a single test rather than two tests that must be performed on the blood sample.
ReplyDeleteI am surprised at your reaction to Silverlake Life. The movie was made to show people how HIV affects individuals, not to show a dying man. I knew about fatigue, but was unaware how it showed up in different people. I couldn't imagine going to a store and not being able to separate pails from each other. I had read about all the things people were willing to try to outwit HIV, but until I saw this movie I didn't realize the greath lengths they went to, to survive at all costs.
It took great courage on both their parts to film their lasts precious time together. I think many people see HIV as just another manageable disease. After watching that movie, I doubt they would ever say that again.