I credit LMN for somewhat venturing outside of their comfort zone here and producing this film. At 96mins the reality is the final 30mins or so (well, with commercials, lots less) really would have been done much better justice and falls into the rapid cleanup for the ending-everyone-wants department. Like most LMN movies I have seen the overall film was very good -- and quite predictable in its outcome, which is a shame because they do as good a job as most cable networks in terms of production values, acting, even the basic script.
The film is quite good. I should preface this by saying my perspective is not likely to match some viewers as I myself am HIV+. A lot of the reactions and interactions were probably among the most realistic portrayals I have seen in anything recent dealing with this subject matter. At the same time, I do feel that the film suffers from trying to understand and portray things it really can't get at for no reason other than the experiences of its network and writers.
Benefits: I think the choice of setting in Atlanta-area was probably somewhat wise, because I grew up in a similar area and while there are cliques as with any school, the overall setting feels quite right for suburban Atlanta. It might not play to other areas of the country. I don't quite get how they prominently featured Fulton County, Georgia plates and yet no one really seemed to have an accent, even odder that it was filmed (according to IMDb) around New Orleans. In general the reactions were almost dead-on to the initial shocks. For a lot of teens who don't fall into the jock-crowd, though, these reactions will be a lot more extreme. It was smart, I suppose, to portray this as a straight girl getting HIV presumably from a jock who liked his needles, and I'm not sure any one film could have managed this as well.
Downsides: Obviously the writer/editor has never used IM or anything like it. It comes off quite fake, and I think it might ultimately end up sabotaging the film with most kids. The video-gamish feel is annoying because its kind of like trying to explain Warcraft to your parents; it doesn't work. And it's vlog not V-log. The wrap-up is too fast and too clean, and too sweet as well. It would have benefited from another 30-45 minutes of a less syrupy, more real, ending.
To parents: Don't see this with your kids. Find a way to let them find it and be curious about it, without pushing it. If you want a film that is more likely going to hit home with your teen, then suck it up and leave a copy of Larry Clark's "Kids" lying around. It's brutal but much more effective to that demo.
My 2c.
The film is quite good. I should preface this by saying my perspective is not likely to match some viewers as I myself am HIV+. A lot of the reactions and interactions were probably among the most realistic portrayals I have seen in anything recent dealing with this subject matter. At the same time, I do feel that the film suffers from trying to understand and portray things it really can't get at for no reason other than the experiences of its network and writers.
Benefits: I think the choice of setting in Atlanta-area was probably somewhat wise, because I grew up in a similar area and while there are cliques as with any school, the overall setting feels quite right for suburban Atlanta. It might not play to other areas of the country. I don't quite get how they prominently featured Fulton County, Georgia plates and yet no one really seemed to have an accent, even odder that it was filmed (according to IMDb) around New Orleans. In general the reactions were almost dead-on to the initial shocks. For a lot of teens who don't fall into the jock-crowd, though, these reactions will be a lot more extreme. It was smart, I suppose, to portray this as a straight girl getting HIV presumably from a jock who liked his needles, and I'm not sure any one film could have managed this as well.
Downsides: Obviously the writer/editor has never used IM or anything like it. It comes off quite fake, and I think it might ultimately end up sabotaging the film with most kids. The video-gamish feel is annoying because its kind of like trying to explain Warcraft to your parents; it doesn't work. And it's vlog not V-log. The wrap-up is too fast and too clean, and too sweet as well. It would have benefited from another 30-45 minutes of a less syrupy, more real, ending.
To parents: Don't see this with your kids. Find a way to let them find it and be curious about it, without pushing it. If you want a film that is more likely going to hit home with your teen, then suck it up and leave a copy of Larry Clark's "Kids" lying around. It's brutal but much more effective to that demo.
My 2c.