Life is Around You and In You1: Presentation versus Representation of HIV/AIDS in Tom os!

in"s Silverlake Life: The View From Here and Dere# arman"s Blue $%at is t%e ima&e of AIDS' Is it a more po(erfu! statement to present t%e ima&e of AIDS) or to represent it' Dere# arman"s Blue (or#s off of an opposite !o&i* from Tom os!in"s Silverlake Life: The View From Here) in re&ards to ima&er+, Silverlake Life"s po(er is in t%e strai&%tfor(ard) -ruta! %onest+ of its ima&es) (%i!e Blue uses ps+*%o!o&i*a! t%ri!!er !o&i* .and a ps+*%o!o&i*a! t%ri!!er soundtra*#/0 (%at +ou don"t see *an -e s*arier t%an (%at +ou do see) and (%at +ou %ear e1a*er-ates t%e nai!2-itin& tension, I) %o(ever) am ar&uin& for t%e use of AIDS t%eatre and fi!m as met%ods of po!iti*a! propa&anda to 3umpstart t%e fa!terin& a(areness movement in t(ent+2first *entur+ Ameri*a, 4or t%is purpose) *onne*tion is essentia!) and t%e presentation of t%at universa! ima&e) t%e %uman -od+) is) in m+ opinion) t%e most po(erfu!) simp!e (a+ to *onne*t (it% t%e %earts and minds of t%e most peop!e, Blue and Silverlake Life: The View From Here (ere re!eased in t%e same time period, 5eit%er (ere meant to ma#e AIDS and %omose1ua!it+ pa!ata-!e to a mainstream audien*e) as Philadelphia) re!eased at a simi!ar time) (as, Blue and Silverlake Life fit into t%e *anon of diaristi* AIDS fi!m, T%e+ are persona!67and8 e!e&ia*6&ro(7n8 out of t%e e1perien*es of t%ose most immediate!+ effe*ted,9 T%is is not to sa+ t%at t%e t(o are on!+ app!i*a-!e to t%e !ives of t%eir su-3e*ts, :e*ause t%e+ are so persona!) so spe*ifi*) and +et sti!! da--!e in r%etori* and &enera!i;ations) t%ese fi!ms are a-!e to ma#e a profound statement a-out t%e ima&e of AIDS and its po!iti*a! uses and a-uses) t%e visi-i!it+ of t%e AIDS patient) %is or %er .t%ou&% in t%is *ase -ot% are ma!e/ dai!+ !ife !ivin& (it% t%e disease and t%e nature of !ove, In %is arti*!e on mournin& and mi!itan*+) Dou&!as <rimp dis*usses t%e re!ations%ip -et(een mournin& .(%i*% ma+ find artisti* representation/ and mi!itan*+ .po!iti*a! intervention/,9 I -e!ieve) as <rimp does) t%at

Ra&ni) =erome and ames Rado, >4!es% 4ai!ures .Let t%e Suns%ine In/,> Hair. St,

L+ri*s, %ttp://(((,st!+ri*s,*om/!+ri*s/%air/t%ef!es%fai!ures!ett%esuns%inein,%tm,
9

=riffin) =a-rie!e, Visi-i!it+ -!ue/s: Dere# arman"s Blue, P&s,1?21@, Representations of HIV and AIDS, 5e( Yor#: Aan*%ester Bniversit+ Press) 9CCC,

mournin& and mi!itan*+ *an (or# to&et%er, T%ese t(o fi!ms are AIDS art as a po!iti*a! a*t of mournin&, Blue is a treatise on -e*omin& -!ind in an ima&e2!aden (or!d) stri*#en (it% an ima&e2%eav+ disease, It is a separate -east entire!+ from Silverlake Life) (%i*% *e!e-rates ima&es as reminders of t%e -eaut+ in !ife, Blue ta#es an opposite approa*%) deni&ratin& ima&es as (ort%!ess ido!s) representations of a dirt+ *apita!isti* so*iet+, arman"s AIDS re!ated infe*tions !eft %im -!ind) una-!e to see t%e (or!d t%at os!in in Silverlake Life (as sti!! a-!e to appre*iate, arman t%erefore is re!e&ated to a rosar+ re*itation of names of t%e dead) t%e -eatin& of t%e o*ean) a ti*#in& *!o*#) a -e!! rin&in&) a readin& off of t%e %orror %ouse of side effe*ts to t%e medi*ine %e must %oo# %imse!f up to via IV t(i*e a da+, arman sa( %imse!f as a *ontemporar+ renderin& of t%e idea of t%e -!ind prop%et) someone (%ose a-i!it+ to see t%e inner trut% is para!!e!ed (it% %is !itera! -!indness in t%e p%+si*a! (or!d,D His -!ue s*reen is t%e spirit freed from matter) stone turned to &o!d) a dream of a %eaven, $%at is visi-i!it+ in Blue' arman is &oin& -!ind0 t%e -!ue s*reen) t%e on!+ ima&e in t%e fi!m) fun*tions as an indi*tment of t%ose (%o *annot see t%e disease and its sufferers) even if t%e+ t%emse!ves are not a*tua!!+ &oin& -!ind, T%e fi!m demands t%at t%e audien*e !isten, arman refuses to a!!o( peop!e to use t%eir fear of t%e &rotesEue popu!ar ima&es of AIDS as t%eir e1*use for i&norin& t%e needs of t%e &ro(in& AIDS *ommunit+, Blue redefines t%e ima&e of AIDS) or) rat%er) strips it of its e1pe*ted ima&er+, T%ere is no ima&e of an AIDS -od+0 t%e fi!m as#s of t%e vie(er) (%at do +ou e1pe*t to see'F T%e vie(er t%en must *onfront %is or %er o(n previous!+ %e!d ideas and pre3udi*es a-out AIDS, AIDS is norma!!+ su*% a visua! spe*ta*!e) and t%is time t%e audien*e is not a!!o(ed t%e !u1ur+ of spe*ta*!e, T%e+ are *onfronted (it% a stati* ima&e t%at does not ever *%an&e) -ut t%e atmosp%ere is *%an&ed) t%rou&% sound, T%e auditor+ e1perien*e of ea*% vie(er is pro3e*ted individua!!+ onto t%e s*reen) and ea*% e1perien*e is t%erefore different, ust as an ima&e (it% no sound *an astonis% t%e senses in an unEuantifia-!e
D

$+mer) Ro(!and, "I (ant to s%are t%is emptiness (it% +ou": Blue .1GGD/, P&, 1H@, Dere# arman, 5e( Yor#: Aan*%ester Bniversit+ Press) 9CC?, =riffin) =a-rie!e, Visi-i!it+ -!ue/s: Dere# arman"s Blue, Representations of HIV and AIDS, P&s, 1H21I, 5e( Yor#: Aan*%ester Bniversit+ Press) 9CCC,

(a+) so too *an (ords or sounds %eard (it%out t%e *omfort of an ima&e to a**ompan+ t%em and &round t%em in *omforta-!e) fami!iar rea!it+, A vie(er fee!s -!ind) !et do(n) afraid) !ost, os!in"s e1perien*e is not more or !ess) -etter or (orse0 it is simp!+ different, His fi!m presents t%e audien*e (it% ima&es) some narrated) ot%ers !eft to spea# for t%emse!ves, T%e *amera !in&ers on pi!!s and %er-a! remedies) *a*ti and f!o(ers) os!in and %is !over dan*in&) runners in a marat%on) os!in"s as%es) %is -od+) t%e (ritten statement not married on %is deat% *ertifi*ate, Visi-i!it+ starts as a *omfort and t%en morp%s into a %orror, os!in is a fi!mma#er0 %is !ife and %is art are *au&%t up in t%e prima*+ of t%e ima&e, Silverlake Life ta#es its audien*e on a man+2!a+ered 3ourne+, It is a !ove stor+) a si*#ness stor+) a do*umentar+) a diar+) and in its su**essfu! Eui!tin& to&et%er of so man+ fa*ets of t%e e1perien*e of AIDS) its ima&es are sustained in t%e memor+ of ever+ vie(er, Silverlake Life does not a!ienate its audien*e in t%e same (a+ t%at Blue does) -ut I (ou!d ar&ue t%at t%e desired end resu!t of :erto!t :re*%t"s a!ienation effe*t) t%at t%e audien*e -e inspired to ta#e a*tion a&ainst in3usti*e) is a more !i#e!+ resu!t from os!in"s fi!m t%an from arman"s, An important point of *onne*tion -et(een Blue and Silverlake Life is t%e nature of !oo#in&, In Blue) !oo#in& -e*omes a meditative a*tivit+ not to -e ta#en for &ranted0 t%is same ar&ument is found in Silverlake Life, Jven t%ou&% arman (ants to dispara&e vision and t%e seen (or!d) t%e !a*# of an ima&e in t%e fi!m reinfor*es t%e importan*e of vision as a medium for en&a&in& (it% ot%ers,F T%e vie(er identifies (it% arman"s des*riptions of times (%en %is ina-i!it+ to see !eft %im %e!p!ess to a*t, In Silverlake Life) os!in des*ri-es %o( %e *an no !on&er a*tive!+ parti*ipate in %is !ife0 %e too) is %e!p!ess) -e*ause a!! %e *an do is see, He is re!e&ated to t%e position of o-server) as opposed to arman"s re!e&ation to t%e position of !istener, T%is Eua!it+ is Euite o-vious as t%e fi!m pro*eeds and t%e audien*e is priv+ to Euiet s%ots of f!o(ers in t%e Huntin&ton =ardens) *ars passin& on Si!ver!a#e :ou!evard) t%e <a!ifornia afternoon sun ref!e*tin& off of t%e Pa*ifi*, $%i*% fi!m is t%e -etter po!iti*a! pie*e for toda+"s (or!d) (%ere AIDS %as fa!!en out of t%e pu-!i* *ons*iousness in $estern *ountries' arman intended %is fi!m to
F

demand visi-i!it+) -ut t%ere is somet%in& to -e said for not distan*in& +our audien*e from t%e ver+ -e&innin&0 sevent+2si1 minutes of a -!ue s*reen is Euite t%e a!ienation effe*t) ma+-e too a!ienatin&, Blue inspires Euestions) -ut it is a!most too se!f2*ons*ious!+ an art fi!m to rea!!+ inspire a*tion and -rea# into t%e mainstream, Silverlake Life) on t%e ot%er %and) !oo#s !i#e ever+one"s o!d fami!+ %ome movies, It inspires response) a*tion) emotion) Euestions) demands, It doesn"t tr+ to -e -etter t%an its audien*e or over2 inte!!e*tua!i;e its ar&ument, Bnfortunate!+) Blue"s point is t%e reason it does not (or# toda+0 t%e art of !istenin&) rea!!+ !istenin&) %as -een !ost, 5o() (e"re a!! a-out t%e ima&e) on te!evision) t%e internet) ne(sstands, Blue *ertain!+ %as its audien*e) -ut it is !ar&e!+ made up of t%ose (%o (ou!d (i!!in&!+ &o to an art2%ouse fi!m -+ an avant2&arde :ritis% fi!mma#er to see sevent+2si1 minutes of -!ue s*reen and %ear sevent+2si1 minutes of poeti*a! musin&s a-out t%e AIDS epidemi*, Aidd!e Ameri*a is not rus%in& out to see Silverlake Life) -ut if an a(areness *ampai&n is &oin& to -e re2!aun*%ed in Ameri*a) as it s%ou!d -e) a !itt!e) !ovin& fi!m) (it% pin# f!o(ers and purp!e !esions) &ra+ #itties and (%ite pus) is t%e one to do it, In -ot% fi!ms) t%e man (%o dies) or (i!! soon die) is -!essed (it% a !over (%o ta#es *are of %im and !oves %im un*onditiona!!+0 for os!in) t%at person is Aar#) for arman it is H,:, T%e t%read of !ove t%at runs t%rou&% t%e entiret+ of -ot% fi!ms &rounds t%em in %ope and on!+ adds to t%eir po!iti*a! nature, Po!iti*a! does not a!(a+s eEuate to atta*#, If an+t%in&) t%e presen*e of a *ompassionate !over in ea*% fi!m %umani;es t%e sometimes %ars% !ife of t%e AIDS patient) (%i*% %e!ps t%e audien*e *ope (it% t%e often diffi*u!t ima&es and (ords t%at t%e+ are presented (it%, T%ese are t(o men) -ot% fi!mma#ers) a**ustomed to e1pressin& t%emse!ves t%rou&% t%e medium of fi!m) (%o) fa*ed (it% AIDS) *%oose to do*ument t%eir e1perien*es as -ot% memoria!s and po!iti*a! statements, I -e!ieve t%e+ s%ou!d -e &iven t%e opportunit+ to -e used as su*%,

$or#s <ited =riffin) =a-rie!e, Visi-i!it+ -!ue/s: Dere# arman"s Blue, Representations of HIV and AIDS, 5e( Yor#: Aan*%ester Bniversit+ Press) 9CCC, arman) Dere#, :!ue, 5e( Yor#: J!e#tra Jntertainment) 1GGF, os!in) Tom and Peter 4riedman, Si!ver!a#e Life: T%e Vie( from Here, Keit&eist 4i!ms) 1GGD, $+mer) Ro(!and, "I (ant to s%are t%is emptiness (it% +ou": Blue .1GGD/, Dere# arman, 5e( Yor#: Aan*%ester Bniversit+ Press) 9CC?, Ra&ni) =erome and ames Rado, >4!es% 4ai!ures .Let t%e Suns%ine In/,> Hair. St, L+ri*s, %ttp://(((,st!+ri*s,*om/!+ri*s/%air/t%ef!es%fai!ures!ett%esuns%inein,%tm,