And Then There Was One

Amazing film. To me, what she says at the end of the film, just sums up everything for me. The truth about life really. So few people appreciate what they have, living not in the moment. This film teaches us the other aspect. Beautiful acting and depth of emotion. Cant fault it!

This is just an amazing story about "bad things that happen to good people." I just finished watching it 5 minutes ago so I'm still in awe. The story took place in 1984 - when I was 9 years old - and I had never even heard of AIDS at that time. Watching this was a learning experience for me. It amazes me how far things have developed in 22 years, both good and bad. (Bad in the amount of similar cases today, and good in the testing/treatment of the disease.) Nobody ever thinks something like this will happen to them. I still don't believe anything will ever go wrong with my life. But watching this movie makes you realize than anything unexpected can happen to anyone at anytime no matter WHO you are or how careful you are. Things just HAPPEN - and I think this movie does an excellent job portraying that fact. I can't rate this movie a 10 because I think it could have been put together a bit better, but I will definitely give it a 9 for the message it has and the reality of the situation. It's a definite "must see!"

Excellent movie based on true story. I love it! Roxy Ventola McGrath died of complications due to AIDS on November 14, 1994. Survived by her husband Matthew McGrath, her parents Esther and Salvatore Abramo, her brother Jack and by merlin the beagle.

Roxy made us promise to keep fighting. She told Mary to continue to be loud and rude and in people's faces! She told her to keep doing AIDS activism and AIDS work in whatever capacity that she could be effective for as long as she is healthy enough. Roxy tried to comfort all her HIV positive friends by telling them not to worry, that science would find something that actually worked by the time it was their turn. Roxy wanted all her friends with HIV/AIDS not to be afraid of dying. She said "It's not so bad, well.... it's bad, but it's not as bad as you think it's going to be. It's not as scary as you think it's going to be." Roxy was a great advocate for peer counseling and peer support programs as you can see from her agency affiliations listed below. She would often remark about how she hated the "neggies" (a term she used to describe HIV negative people) trying to tell people with AIDS how they should feel or what they should do and how nice they should be to their care providers. She hated it when negative people would try to hone in on peer support groups to "observe" or offer "pity". "No neggies allowed!" she would say, "this is about us". The 1994 movie described the events which led to the deaths of her husband, Vinny, and infant daughter, Miranda Rose. They both died from AIDS in 1991. In 1993, Roxy was remarried to AIDS activist, Matthew McGrath.

Amy Madigan played the part of Roxy and won an Emmy for her outstanding performance. In her acceptance speech she gave tribute to the Ventola family and mentioned that Roxy had since passed away. Roxy's play, "After the Bomb" about a post-AIDS world, was produced in the spring of 1994 at Open Fist Theater in Los Angeles. She also performed in the Michael Kerns play, "AIDS, US Women: Silent NO More." She was: President of the Board of Women At Risk, a support service for women with HIV/AIDS; a co-founding member of Women Alive, a peer group run by and for women volunteers with HIV/AIDS; a founding member of Friends for Life, a support service for heterosexuals with HIV/AIDS; and an active member of of ACT UP/LA. In 1991, Roxy was a staff writer for the sit-com, "Sunday Dinner," produced by Norman Lear. She worked as a reporter/producer at WNET in New York from 1973-77. She created a pilot project for PBS on working class America called "US". She moved to Los Angeles, and worked at KNXT and KCET as a magazine show producer. Her journalism awards include a local Emmy for Best Documentary, "Art Therapy", and an award from Radio 8 TV News Association of Southern California in 1978.

I thought this movie was a very sad and touching movie-- but one part of it really annoyed me-- the beginning where the woman (with her parents sitting right there) makes a big production of "giving herself away." at her wedding. Now, I understand when women don't want to be "given away." in the traditional sense, but there are MANY ways to begin a wedding-- including having both bride AND groom escorted down the aisle by their parents. Other cultures do things such as having the bride and groom escort each other, as was done in my brother and sister in laws wedding in Russia. The way it was done in this movie seemed to me to feel like something was being thrown in our faces.

The main reason I watched this film was because of Agatha Cristies movie with the name of 'And then there was none'. But this is a completely different senerio and a very special movie. The acting is superb, the directing is excellent as well. It is a very emotional movie that will remain in the subconscious for what seems like forever.Once this movie is viewed the person will never be the same. When they feel like they are the only people in the world who is going through such a personal tragedy,(whatever it may be at that time in their lives) this film will resurface and you will think of all those with deadly afflictions that have virtually no way out. I have personally looked for this film for myself for over five years now, would appreciate anyone who knows where I can buy it to contact me through email. Thanks.