Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt

Narrated by Dustin Hoffman, the Oscar-winning 1989 documentary Common Threads from filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman tells the stories of five individuals from different walks of life, who all suffered the same fate--they died of AIDS--as related by the survivors: parents, wives, and lovers, some of whom have also contracted the HIV virus. One man was an Olympic athlete who, although gay, saw his dream come true when he married a lesbian and the pair conceived a child. Another is an 11-year-old boy named Danny, a hemophiliac who was stricken through infected plasma (in a heartrending scene, he tries to explain to a TV reporter that he is no different from other kids--he likes to play and have fun; he just has a much shorter time to enjoy life). Interspersed throughout the stories are bits of news footage and statistics that remind us of one tragic fact: until AIDS became a disease that affected white, middle-class heterosexual males and females, it wasn't a priority either for the government or the American people. An outstanding film, making its debut on DVD with a handful of notable extras (including audio commentary by the filmmakers, a photo gallery with captions, a “Vito Russo Act Up Speech,” a short film, and trailers), Common Threads is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (R. Pitman)