Jesus Children of America (2005) User Reviews

well executed film; needs to be more films on AIDS

[smithcorey · 9/10 · 25 September 2005]

I was privileged to see "Jesus Children of America", named after a Stevie Wonder song, last night at the apple store in soho. it's a 20 minute or so short film where a girl's fears are confirmed: her parents are junkies and she has AIDS. the film was done to support UNICEF in doing a collection of 6 or so short 20 minute films in different countries on different topics by different directors. overall it was superior to many films addressing this subject. they portrayed some angles of experiencing AIDS that have rarely or never been explored before, such as when the father of the main character, a man who has AIDS, tells his wife that AIDS is a fake disease made up by the government and when you take medication to supposedly help you, you're actually being poisoned. I don't know why someone with AIDS would believe that, but apparently Spike's sister, who wrote the script in two days, found that some people think this way by interviewing people with or associated with the disease and listening to real life-stories. Spike also mentioned in a question and answer session that the film was done in four days all with children from his past middle school...except for the main actress, a child. That child I believe was taught to act by Spike's sister, but I might be wrong. Spike's sister was weary of speaking on the subject. The film was done on 35mm and had a hand-held feeling to it. There was mild violence, drug use, and cursing, but nothing that people haven't seen before on television. If anything, the film prepares people (and teenagers) for the reality of life-the junkie parents in the film are shown as middle class parents with normal jobs, not your stereotypical single mom working on the corner, as Spike noted. A well scripted, shot, and edited film on a topic that although terrible for existing, needs to be exposed more than in a short film. I might also note that Spike said this film, as a part of a whole 2 hour long film of aforementioned shorts, has gotten distribution deals in every country except America...how fitting.