Customer Reviews

Life Support

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Once again HBO has produced a film for television that will doubtless be a success not only in its televised version but on theater release and/or DVD. LIFE SUPPORT as written by Nelson George, Hannah Weyer and Jim McKay and directed with power and restraint by Nelson George has the courage to delve deeply into the problem of AIDS in the black community and the result is a film that is not only informative but also a story of tremendous power about the sequelae of HIV infection on the lives of those infected and their families.

Based on the true story of a mother who as a crack cocaine addict became infected by her boyfriend's indiscriminate use of a shared needle and with the discovery of her sero-positive status turned her life around to become a powerful positive role model and AIDS activist in the black community. Ana Willis (Queen Latifah in a sterling performance) is married to Slick (Wendell Pierce), both of whom are HIV positive and both work, living with their young daughter Kim (Ravelle Parker) and trying to cope with their estranged daughter Kelly (Rachel Nicks, a true find of a young artist!) who elects to live with her grandmother, Ana's beleagured mother (Anna Deavere Smith, once again proving she is one of the premiere actors of the day). Kelly and Ana are at odds and their strained relationship is one of the evidences of the cruelties of the aftermath of ex-addicts manner of going straight. Kelly's closest friend is Omari (Evan Ross, gifted actor son of Diana Ross!) who is gay and is very ill with AIDS. Kelly asks for Ana's help when Omari disappears and it is through this act that the story plunges forward into the self help groups of AIDS patients Ana chairs, Ana's visit to Omari's boyfriends such as MJ (Darrin Dewitt Henson) who is very much on the down low, and Ana's ultimate finding herself as a mother, a wife, a caregiver and a fine activist in doing her part to prevent the spread of the dread disease form which she suffers.

The large cast is excellent with outstanding performances by Queen Latifah, Anna Deavere Smith, and Rachel Nicks and strong work by Evan Ross, Tracee Ellis Ross (another of Diana Ross' progeny) et al. The beauty of the film is the avoidance of grandstanding and overacting: the message is driven home quietly and with respect. It is a fine film that should be seen by everyone. Grady Harp, May 07

She started off as a rapper who spoke to us about respect and female empowerment but the lady also known as Dana Owens has come a long way since then. She's a genuine Hollywood Power Player and bona fide movie star these days. Not every role she's chosen has resulted in box office success but she has always been very thoughtful in her choices. Where there has been success, iconic and commercial, whether it be in a drama, comedy or musical, (from movies like Jungle Fever and Juice, to Set It Off and House Party 2, to others like Chicago (Widescreen Edition) and Barbershop 2 - Back in Business (Special Edition)), she's been one of the ones to watch. I was really excited when I learned earlier this year that she was to play this role. As HBO doesn't screen in this country I knew I was going to have to hope that it made it to DVD and luckily, it eventually did. I ordered my copy without a second thought.

This is a real life story based on director Nelson George's sister Andrea Williams who is HIV positive. Latifah plays Ana, a character based on Williams and we watch Ana as she works hard as a community AIDS activist to spread the safer sex/HIV prevention message through Life Support, the organisation she works for in Brooklyn, New York. We also watch her while she struggles to redeem herself for her past life decisions (she was a crack addict, apparently) not only in her own eyes but in the eyes of her mother Lucille, played by Anna Deavere Smith, and of her teenage daughter Kelly, played by Rachel Nicks, custodial rights to whom she had to give up to her mother as a result of her troubled past. We also watch her as she negotiates another challenging relationship in her life, i.e. with her husband Slick, played by the excellent Wendell Pierce, who is also living with HIV. It's an amazing piece of work and we get a glimpse into what it's really like for people (mostly women though, interestingly enough - I was like, where are the men?) whose lives have been impacted by this virus. It's not always easy to watch. Look out for a brilliant performance by Evan Ross who plays Amare, a troubled young HIV+ gay man who is best friends with Kelly. It's truly gut wrenching to watch him flounder, trying to deal with a whole range of issues, without the support he so desperately needs.

On a lighter note though, Brooklyn is one of my favourite places on the planet and it was really fun to see the various great location pieces Nelson George used in the movie. I think it is noteworthy though, that this movie hasn't had the profile that I feel it deserves. It makes me wonder why not. It could be that the message I got from the movie (that HIV is out there, it's real and we're all at risk) might not be one that audiences are willing to take on board. Given that HIV/AIDS are collectively a bigger problem in our communities than they were when they first appeared 25 years ago (and not a smaller one as one might have hoped), I wonder if we have the right attitude. People are still getting infected, people are still dying and it's not just gays, drug addicts or people from sub-Saharan Africa either.

Soapbox minute over, I think it was incredibly brave of Andrea Williams to put herself forward like this, of Nelson George to tackle the issue head on and of all the actors who agreed to participate in this project, Latifah most of all. But then she's never been afraid of taking on a challenge. I've invited friends round to watch it and have lent it to others so they can invite their friends round to watch it. I truly feel this is a movie we (especially black people) all need to see. I highly recommend it.

Latifah received a well-earned Emmy nomination for her performance but was pipped to the post by an equally deserving Helen Mirren who won for her performance in Prime Suspect 7 - The Final Act. There were notable performances also, from Gloria Reuben, Tracey Ellis Ross and Darrin Henson.

DVD extras include: an on-set diary with the director Nelson George; an exclusive deleted scene; a short piece called "Interview with Andrea Williams: The Inspiration for "Life Support"", and "The Story Behind The Story" - a behind the scenes featurette with Queen Latifah, Nelson George and Andrea Williams.

This was a great movie. All of the actors played their roles so well that it's almost as if you aren't watching a movie. It's like you're witnessing these peoples lives as it unfolds. It didn't go into the real-real-grittyness of the streets but you get a real clear idea of it. Latifah was great, and I was also impressed with Evan Ross's roll.

This was an all around great film and I don't regret buying it.

Before I ordered Life Support from Amazon, I caught the film on late night cable television. As the mother of an adult son who died from AIDS two years ago, I was naturally interested in the content and the message.

Initially, I wanted to see if the characters and the information about HIV and AIDS was as close to accurate as I needed them to be, but I became absorbed in the characters and their individual stories, which is the way this disease happens. One person at a time.

There may be an epidemic among certain races and ages, but getting down to it, is the fact that each person affected, and there are numbers that statistics do not cover, including scads of children, parents, friends and relatives who do not HAVE the virus, but are affected by it's devastation for the rest of their lives, after losing someone they love so dearly.

I appreciate this movie and would recommend it to anyone. Not just a family who is affected by AIDS but to those who for the moment, have not been touched by it.

The circle of those affected draws tighter and tighter. We cannot allow ourselves to be silent due to the fact that it has not come knocking on our doors yet. If it has not, I am pretty sure that in one way or another, just like drugs, we all get affected by this killer of dreams and usurper of hope.

Zenobia L Silas-Carson

I'm a clinical social worker working in a residential substance abuse program, and this movie depicts the reality that people, especially women experience. In looking at it through the recovery part, you see the main character (Queen Latifah) go through some defense mechanisms and shows some relapse behavior, but it also shows the importance of having a support group, regardless if it's for addiction or for HIV support. It makes you want to explore with clients the attitudes, beliefs, and myths of people living with HIV and also exploring the attitudes, beliefs, and myths of addiction and addicts as well. It also shows a great scene between a grandmother and a granddaughter that gives insight on the pain and hurt, the consequences, that the family members of an addict go through. This film shows the true meaning of living life on life's terms and that one is powerless of what others think, say, and do. All the actors did a superb job in this film. I highly recommend it.

The true-life story of a mother who overcame an addiction to crack and became a positive role model and a AIDS activist in the black community. This is a very compelling story detailing the black experience with regard to home life and personal identifications and self-esteem.

IT SHOWS THE TRUTH ABOUT DRUG ADDICTS ACTIVITY. IT SHOWS THE TRUTH ABOUT ALOT OF LIFE ISSUES.

I saw this movie on HBO when I was employed in an industry that had one of the first glimpses into hiv and aids infection. It made me more aware of the impact of the disease's effects on the family nucleus and the neighborhoods. I saw people panic when confronted with hiv positive people, as if they could get it by talking and being around them. This movie shows that no matter where you start, its how you finish, dealing with what you got, that counts. It shows that there is a lot of pain, unforgiveness, forgiveness and redemption out there. In all, I feel this is a must see movie and highly recommend it.

this is a great, great movie. it takes a look at the harsh world of some people suffering with AIDS. it is very moving. the characters are real and the dialogue and problems are real. no hollywood bull here. it is fantastic and well worth your time.

With the release of Life Support, officially selected in the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, HBO Films further establishes itself as the go-to location for powerful actors looking for solid, unflowery, unapologetically good films. Following in the tradition of Geoffrey Rush and Charlize Theron in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers and Annette Bening and Ben Kingsley in Mrs. Harris, Queen Latifah has become a part of the tradition of excellence with her turn as HIV positive AIDS activist Ana Wallace.

In the deeply personal and profoundly moving film based on the life of writer/director George Nelson's sister Andrea Williams, Queen Latifah not only has the opportunity to help explore the effect of the HIV/AIDS crisis on the African-American community, but to display her tremendous acting talent along the way. As Ana Wallace, Latifah has never been more human, more endearing, or more inspiring. Equal parts stubborn selfishness and selfless activist, Latifah portrays Wallace (and the real-life Williams, who makes an appearance in the film herself) as a real woman with real problems, who learns to rise above it all in order to help herself and her family.

Using real people in key group discussion scenes, Nelson gives his film an almost documentary feel, and the strong performances from Anna Deavere Smith as Wallace's stern but loving mother, Wendell Pierce as her supportive and honest husband, and Rachel Nicks as her estranged daughter make the screen crackle with emotion and energy. Darrin Dewitt Henson (of Darrin's Dance Grooves) even steps in for a surprisingly powerful turn as a hotheaded record producer. Throughout the film, no actor misses a beat. Either the casting director should be thanked profusely for such ideal casting, or Nelson just has a special knack for getting exactly the right performance out of each of his actors.

The acting is phenomenal, the story is moving and engaging, and the backdrop of the Brooklyn streets never fails to deliver. In short, Life Support is a triumph on all accounts. Latifah will doubtless be looking at some nominations for this role and perhaps she'll begin to be offered the kind of roles her talent truly deserves. In George Nelson's video diary (included on the disc), viewers can clearly see his mood and feelings towards the film changing and growing as the film progresses and each scene is captured on film. Audiences will feel much the same way as they watch the film head towards its dramatic and poignant conclusion.