Inspired by a true story, "Life Support" is about Ana(Queen Latifah) who works for AIDS Outreach dishing out condoms and getting the word out. She and her husband, Slick(Wendell Pierce), are both recovering drug addicts who have been clean for years and are HIV positive. Each morning they take their respective
medications as their nine-year old daughter, Kim(Rayelle Parker), gets ready for school. Ana's older daughter, Kelly(Rachel Nicks), lives with her grandmother(Anna Deavere Smith). A childhood friend of Kelly's, Amare(Evan Ross), is HIV positive and has gone missing... While more a public service announcement than a narrative feature, "Life Support" is still worthwhile for covering ground on how AIDS has affected the African American community which is rarely covered these days.(I was especially curious about the female condom.) Believable characters, good performances and a nice use of Brooklyn locations definitely help. The message is that AIDS is not automatically a death sentence anymore. So, there is little point in dwelling on the past, when we should be concerned in the present while having hope for the future. The movie even has a couple of good words for women's basketball.
June 25, 2008
Top Critic
