Test

Like so many in 1985 who were caught up in the AIDS crisis in New York and San Francisco, so many of us awaited the results of the crucial HIV test to determine whether we had the incurable and fatal virus. As do the members of this San Francisco based ballet company some of whom seemingly asymptomatic but still testing positive.

I was part of that also. I had a case of pneumonia which lingered on and gave me asthmatic symptoms. I had the test just as shown here and of course was relieved to be found negative.

Some are not so lucky in Test. The critical decision they have to make is what to do with their lives with a medical death sentence hanging over them.

The film is anchored in the fall of 1985 when we see references to the illness of Rock Hudson. That put a public face on the disease and spurred a bit government action on a federal level.

I am guessing that with me seeing a lack of other film credits or only a few with most of the cast their backgrounds are as dancers not actors. There are some beautiful ballet sequences here. And that lends a nice ring of authenticity to the performances.

This one is a real sleeper, se it by all means.