Gone Tomorrow: AIDS, a Personal Perspective

Presented as a stage play, reminiscent of the sparsely-set classic Our Town, the fictional story of Rick, a young high-school freshman who is becoming sexually active, follows the character throughout his four years of high school and his five, chronologically presented romances with Amanda, Jessica, Rhonda, Jennifer and Allison. Each girl is visually spotlighted and comes to the forefront while viewers hear not only the vocal introductions and dialogue of the characters, but explanations and thoughts of each character on their life, sexual activity, and feelings about the relationship as well. When Rick discovers he has AIDS, and learns that his past partners now have the disease as well, we see how the virus affects lives exponentially. He reflects upon his life, his promiscuous nature, and the indiscriminate disease. Near the end, the video switches gears, offering commentary by several AIDS experts discussing such topics as transmission, abstinence, and the use of condoms. The acting is exceptional, and the stark, propless stage poignantly exemplifies the loneliness and desperation of AIDS victims. While this video should be viewed by every teenager in America, many will find Rick's five sexual relationships in four years rather extreme. But it only takes one... Highly recommended. (J. Scholtz)