'The Cure' educates about AIDS, friendship

'The Cure' educates about AIDS, friendship

JAKARTA (JP): Erik has finished his sundae but he wants more. He looks at Dexter's glass and asks him if he is going to finish it. Dexter, Erik's best friend, is not going to finish his ice cream. Dexter's mother, however, does not allow Erik to have it because Dexter has been tested positive to HIV.

Will Erik get the virus if he eats Dexter's ice cream?

No. Dexter's mother knows it is safe for Erik to use the same glass but she does not let him because she knows that a lot of people will not accept it.

Erik is Brad Renfro and Dexter is Joseph Mazzello. They are stars of The Cure, a touching film about friendship. Erik makes friend with Dexter, who is infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) through a blood transfusion. Their friendship grows stronger despite strong objection from Erik's mother. She, like many people, shuns Dexter and forbids the two from meeting each other.

This is an entertaining piece which has an important message: no discrimination against HIV-infected people.

Even though the message is serious, the film is not boring. It is funny to see how the two boys try to formulate the cure for AIDS. Erik and Dexter are children, who can be mischievous, too. Watching the film makes one cry and laugh.

Director Peter Horton says that The Cure is "about two boys who are both alone in this world for very different reasons; who through circumstance form a friendship that changes their lives forever."

The screenwriter, Robert Kuhn, said: "I wanted to tell a story about friendship and life -- how friendship can transform people and how it can transform the experience of how we feel about life."

Renfro was the star of The Client, while Mazzello has played in Jurrasic Park and The River Wild. The Cure also stars Annabella Sciorra (Jungle Fever and The Hand that Rocks the Cradle) as Dexter's mother, and Diana Scarwid (Pretty Baby and Inside Moves) as Erik's mother.

This is the second wide-screen movie with an AIDS theme which has been released in Indonesia. The first was Philadelphia, which features Tom Hank.

In Philadelphia, the AIDS sufferer is a homosexual lawyer. In The Cure, a spirited boy gets the virus from a blood transfusion. They have something in common: both are discriminated against.

The Cure will play in local theaters soon, in conjunction with World AIDS Day, which falls on Dec. 1.

The preview, which took place last week, was followed by a discussion on AIDS featuring Dr. Sjamsuridjal and Dr. Harry Purnama from Yayasan Pelita Ilmu, a non-governmental organization focusing on the issue of AIDS.

In August, Sjamsuridjal was barred from practicing medicine because he has handled AIDS patients. This reflects how hard life is for HIV-infected people. They are isolated by society, which has a negative perception of people with HIV/AIDS.

Will The Cure change people's negative ideas? Can people accept HIV-infected people as they are?

Pity

Maybe. Maybe the audience will have pity for Dexter, an 11- year-old boy who is much smaller than other boys his age.

What about drug addicts who get the virus from used syringes? How will people respond if the AIDS sufferers are sex workers, or homosexuals, who are often mistakenly accused of being the source of the disease?

According to a student who joined the discussion, people might criticize HIV-infected sex workers, instead of accepting them.

She is not exaggerating. Some people still regard AIDS as a curse. They still hold to the myth that AIDS is the disease of prostitutes and homosexuals.

Mrs. Brataatmadja, a family planning consultant, told The Jakarta Post that the film and the discussion was a valuable experience. Now that she understands more about how AIDS can spread, she does don't worry too much. Instead, she is more aware about the need to avoid AIDS.

"I would tell my children, who are preteens, to be careful about swapping clothes and food -- children like to do that -- and about kissing, because AIDS can spread from contact with wounds or suppuration," she said.

"Yes, we know the possibility is small but it's better to be careful, don't you think?"

When asked how she would react if she had a person with AIDS living near her home, she said she would tell the neighbors how AIDS spreads. There is no need to isolate the person, but that one has to keep a distance to prevent others from getting infected. She also said she is afraid that HIV-infected people would take revenge if they were isolated.

Showing of films like The Cure is a good way to educate the public about AIDS. It might not instantly eliminate any discrimination against HIV-infected people, but at least people can feel the pain of the sufferers. (sim/anr)