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ONE + ONE
Media Review JANAC Vol. 13, No. 6, November/December 2002 10.1177/1055329002238029 Media Review
ONE + ONE Produced and directed by S. Leo Chiang. New Day Films, 22-D Hollywood Avenue, Hohokus, NJ 07432. URL: www.newday.com.
I
n ONE + ONE, director S. Leo Chiang has addressed the issue of HIV serodiscordant partners (one positive and one negative partner) with great sensitivity. Two couples, one male homosexual (John and Noel) and the other heterosexual (Joanne and Robert), address the issues they confront on a daily basis with honesty, giving us, as professionals, a glimpse of their day-today world. Their stories are interwoven in such a way that there is a real feeling of the commonality of many of the issues that confront them. Issues include revealing one’s status early in the relationship; family issues, especially as they relate to who to tell within the extended family; insurance problems; safe sex and the fear of transmitting/contracting the HIV/AIDS virus; the complexity of the medical regimen; the new hope that has come with the advent of protease inhibitors and other antiretroviral treatments; and the ever-present threat of death and loss. In this documentary, John and Noel and Joanne and Robert discuss the importance of honesty and candor with regard to their status when beginning the dating process. John, who is HIV-positive, revealed his status to Noel on the first date. Joanne, a former intravenous drug user and HIV/AIDS counselor, knew Robert’s HIV status through her work with him while he was actively using. In both cases, the HIV-negative partners were willing to risk everything for their love relationship. This commitment led them on an emotional roller coaster, fearing their own infection and yet wanting to make the most of their lives together. Both couples candidly discuss their extended families and the issues surrounding whether or not to reveal the positive partner’s status, fearing rejection. This was compounded for the heterosexual couple because of the guilt and sadness over the inability to have biological children.
Both couples brought up economic concerns related to the ability to work and maintain insurance. John and Noel both cut back, John due to his health status and Noel to spend more time with John. With the advent of protease inhibitors, John’s robust response allowed him to return to the workforce and resume an active lifestyle once again. This realistically portrays the situation many people living with HIV/AIDS face today, some coming back from the very brink of death to resume productive lives. Robert, who is selfemployed, has his insurance through Joanne, who works for a nonprofit organization where funding is always an issue. They fear that the loss of insurance would have devastating consequences because of the high cost of treatment. Both couples struggle with the knowledge of the need for safe sex practices and the very human concerns for spontaneity. Both HIV-negative partners want their partner to continue to feel desirable, yet they both candidly express their fear of contracting the virus. Both HIV-positive partners discuss their commitment to assuring, to the best of their ability, that their partners remain free from this disease. Throughout the discussion, one gets the sense of the love and deep commitment on the part of all partners to their relationships. Certainly, this 27-minute exposure to the lives of these two couples provides the health care provider or counselor with many insights into the issues faced by couples who are infected and affected by HIV through male with male sex and intravenous drug use. However, in both cases the infected partner is the male. There is no discussion of the impact on a serodiscordant couple in which the female is HIV-positive. The issues such a couple may experience are not addressed and may potentially be quite different, such
JOURNAL OF THE ASSOCIATION OF NURSES IN AIDS CARE, Vol. 13, No. 6, November/December 2002, 76-77 DOI: 10.1177/1055329002238029 Copyright © 2002 Association of Nurses in AIDS Care
Media Review
as how HIV manifests itself in women, risk of femaleto-male transmission, pregnancy when the woman is HIV-positive, and long-term planning for the children. Although this film is useful for providers and those who work with persons living with HIV/AIDS, one would need to be cautious about the audience to whom this video might be shown as a stepping-off point for discussion. For those persons who are not comfortable with their diagnosis or who may have contracted the disease through other avenues of exposure, or for families coming to terms with a family member’s diagnosis, this video paints a limited picture and perpetuates a stereotype that HIV/AIDS is only contracted through
77
male-to-male sex and intravenous drug use. This is not to say that this video is not of value, but simply that as providers we must always be aware of the community we serve and use any tool such as this responsibly. Overall, this video provides a poignant look at the lives of two couples affected by HIV/AIDS and the impact this disease has on their lives. Sandra S. Averitt, RN, PhD, LCCE Associate Professor of Nursing Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, Georgia
ONE + ONE Produced and directed by S. Leo Chiang. New Day Films, 22-D Hollywood Avenue, Hohokus, NJ 07432. URL: www.newday.com.
I
n ONE + ONE, director S. Leo Chiang has addressed the issue of HIV serodiscordant partners (one positive and one negative partner) with great sensitivity. Two couples, one male homosexual (John and Noel) and the other heterosexual (Joanne and Robert), address the issues they confront on a daily basis with honesty, giving us, as professionals, a glimpse of their day-today world. Their stories are interwoven in such a way that there is a real feeling of the commonality of many of the issues that confront them. Issues include revealing one’s status early in the relationship; family issues, especially as they relate to who to tell within the extended family; insurance problems; safe sex and the fear of transmitting/contracting the HIV/AIDS virus; the complexity of the medical regimen; the new hope that has come with the advent of protease inhibitors and other antiretroviral treatments; and the ever-present threat of death and loss. In this documentary, John and Noel and Joanne and Robert discuss the importance of honesty and candor with regard to their status when beginning the dating process. John, who is HIV-positive, revealed his status to Noel on the first date. Joanne, a former intravenous drug user and HIV/AIDS counselor, knew Robert’s HIV status through her work with him while he was actively using. In both cases, the HIV-negative partners were willing to risk everything for their love relationship. This commitment led them on an emotional roller coaster, fearing their own infection and yet wanting to make the most of their lives together. Both couples candidly discuss their extended families and the issues surrounding whether or not to reveal the positive partner’s status, fearing rejection. This was compounded for the heterosexual couple because of the guilt and sadness over the inability to have biological children.
Both couples brought up economic concerns related to the ability to work and maintain insurance. John and Noel both cut back, John due to his health status and Noel to spend more time with John. With the advent of protease inhibitors, John’s robust response allowed him to return to the workforce and resume an active lifestyle once again. This realistically portrays the situation many people living with HIV/AIDS face today, some coming back from the very brink of death to resume productive lives. Robert, who is selfemployed, has his insurance through Joanne, who works for a nonprofit organization where funding is always an issue. They fear that the loss of insurance would have devastating consequences because of the high cost of treatment. Both couples struggle with the knowledge of the need for safe sex practices and the very human concerns for spontaneity. Both HIV-negative partners want their partner to continue to feel desirable, yet they both candidly express their fear of contracting the virus. Both HIV-positive partners discuss their commitment to assuring, to the best of their ability, that their partners remain free from this disease. Throughout the discussion, one gets the sense of the love and deep commitment on the part of all partners to their relationships. Certainly, this 27-minute exposure to the lives of these two couples provides the health care provider or counselor with many insights into the issues faced by couples who are infected and affected by HIV through male with male sex and intravenous drug use. However, in both cases the infected partner is the male. There is no discussion of the impact on a serodiscordant couple in which the female is HIV-positive. The issues such a couple may experience are not addressed and may potentially be quite different, such
JOURNAL OF THE ASSOCIATION OF NURSES IN AIDS CARE, Vol. 13, No. 6, November/December 2002, 76-77 DOI: 10.1177/1055329002238029 Copyright © 2002 Association of Nurses in AIDS Care
Media Review
as how HIV manifests itself in women, risk of femaleto-male transmission, pregnancy when the woman is HIV-positive, and long-term planning for the children. Although this film is useful for providers and those who work with persons living with HIV/AIDS, one would need to be cautious about the audience to whom this video might be shown as a stepping-off point for discussion. For those persons who are not comfortable with their diagnosis or who may have contracted the disease through other avenues of exposure, or for families coming to terms with a family member’s diagnosis, this video paints a limited picture and perpetuates a stereotype that HIV/AIDS is only contracted through
77
male-to-male sex and intravenous drug use. This is not to say that this video is not of value, but simply that as providers we must always be aware of the community we serve and use any tool such as this responsibly. Overall, this video provides a poignant look at the lives of two couples affected by HIV/AIDS and the impact this disease has on their lives. Sandra S. Averitt, RN, PhD, LCCE Associate Professor of Nursing Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, Georgia