One Week

I saw this movie years ago -- when people rented movies from movie stores. I rented it from Blockbuster. I have never forgotten it -- it was poignant and patiently told. I highly recommend it.

I loved the plot, and I empathized with the characters. The events ranged from mundane to tragic, as a young man reflects on the sexual choices he has made, all against the backdrop of the pique of romantic promise in a young person's life.

I'd love to see this movie, again, now that the prognosis for HIV patients has changed. Either this movie is, now, a time capsule revealing our feelings and attitudes about HIV a decade and a half ago, or people's fears and presumptions lag behind advances in HIV treatment.

One Week was a well crafted movie that gave detailed opinion of what goes through the mind of theses guys that come across contact with AIDS. The people acted well and is a must see for anyone looking for a movie with truth. Wouldn't you like to confront that evil person too. This movie gave you its all and made you think.....yeah, I'd probably do that too.

"One Week" is an Afro-Am flick about a working class man (Young) who learns his name is on a list of sexual partners provided to Public Health Services by an HIV+ person. After his blood test the film takes us one day at a time through an anxious and eventful week as he awaits the test results, prepares for his wedding, struggles with a promotion op at work, and much more. A technically poor flick with subpar directing, questionable acting talent, poor sound, obvious budget constraints, etc., "One Week" is a better public health service film than drama and not very good as either. (C-)

Note - The bare bones DVD I rented had no closed captions or subtitles.

"One Week" is one of those movies about which you're not quite sure what to expect. At the end, you walk out of the theater pleasantly surprised and happy that you saw the film.

Everything seems to be going well for Varon Thomas (actor Kenny Young II). Abandoned by his drug-addicted parents, as a child, and made the ward of the foster care system for most of his young life, Varon has finally found a family of his own. Kiya (actress Saadiqa Muhammad) is the woman of his dreams. She is beautiful, loving and a supportive fiancée. Her family has happily embraced him as one of their own. There is also a possibility that he will get a promotion at work. Life is good.

Unexpectedly, Varon is informed that his former sexual partner has contracted the AIDS virus and he needs to be tested. Varon is not given the person's name. In disbelief, he takes the test without telling his fiancée. The test results will be released within one week, exactly on the day of his wedding.

During this stressful time, the young groom-to-be has to figure out who put his name on the list. He tries to move through the week with his daily routine at home and work. Unfortunately, the following days simply get worse. Things start to unravel for the young man. In addition, Varon discovers that his close friend has to be tested for HIV as well.

How does Varon handle the pressure? It is a long week for him -- Sometimes,one week can feel like a lifetime! What happens is not only entertaining but educational as well.

Directed by Carl Seaton and written by the director and lead actor, Kenny Young II, the movie spotlights an important issue in a stimulating way. There are no boring clichés, the actors are refreshing and the storyline captivates the viewer to the very end.

I did not expect much from this film, but it ended up impressing me. The actors and actresses did quite an amazing job and the plot never left me bored. Like I said, I did not expect much from it, but I found myself glued to the TV until the very end. It is a real movie about HIV hitting close to home, people dealing with the repercussions of their sexual choices all while hitting them at the complete wrong time in life when there is a marriage about to take place and people having to face the results even when they think it could never happen to them. This was a very low budget independent film, but did not feel like it at all. My only complaint is that I wish I had seen it sooner and it makes me sad that movies as good as this get left off of the radar for main stream Hollywood.