Living with the Tiger

The “tiger” in the title of Mike Thomas's documentary is HIV/AIDS, and those “living with” it are Thai children—abandoned by their families and turned into pariahs by their communities—who have found a sanctuary at Baan Gerda, a rural institution originally created as a hospice. The youngsters who live there thrive in an environment of love, education, and understanding that has produced remarkable results—boys and girls who arrived in desperately poor health have become energetic and enthusiastic dynamos, preparing to present a traditional folk opera, and hoping that their performance will help to convey the message that they're “normal.” Thomas's camera also follows two teenagers who go back to visit their relatives; these sequences reveal the shockingly primitive attitudes that many people in Thailand have about HIV and AIDS. Indeed, the level of misinformation is so deep that many Thais refuse to share meals with HIV/AIDS patients because they fear that the disease can be transmitted across dinner plates. This two-disc set features both the full-length documentary and a 53-minute educational abridged version that is supplemented with short profiles of several of the Baan Gerda subjects and a broader overview of the lingering stigma associated with HIV and AIDS in Thailand. Extremely disturbing and deeply moving, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)