In Africa, a novice nun (Sevigny) arrives with two colleagues (Dukakis and Oh). A local landowner (Roberts) controls the local tribal society, which is rife with Aids and getting worse due to local superstitions. In China, a man (Chokpikultong) is annoyed that he can't donate blood to a contraband runner (Liu). But soon his family--and everyone else--is sick and dying. And in Montreal, a porn actor (Ashmore) hides his HIV status, infecting several costars as a result. His mother (Channing) then sets out to make things right. In a way.

There are huge ideas swirling through every scene examining a global epidemic that indiscriminately hands death sentences to poor families and a lifetime of medication to rich ones. And the film spirals out to examine the concept of charity work, especially selfless actions driven by a pure love for humanity rather than the desire to make a buck. Along the way, Fitzgerald fills the film with local colour, much of which is completely off the topic.

The problem is that the theme is so strong that it didn't need to be filled out. And these naturalistic, artistic, ethnic sideroads merely distract us from the issue at hand. Also, Fitzgerald treats the Aids issue with such over-serious reverence that it's almost hard to watch. We can tell we should be feeling lots of emotion due to the lush camera work, swelling music and expressive, internalised performances (Channing is the standout), but when a filmmaker pushes this hard it's impossible to engage with anything.

And then the awkwardly structured plot takes some unlikely turns that make it hard for us to believe in the characters. Yes, we know the world has been ravaged by this disease, which undermines every aspect of community life, and that the people with the ability to help are doing very, very little. But no matter how true and sporadically powerful this film is, it doesn't seem to have anything else to say.

themes, language, violence, nudity, sexuality

1.Nov.05 lff