One Week

This small obviously independent piece of filmmaking caught me completely off guard. It's a small budget film with an important message. The acting was superb and the writing was immediate and heartfelt. It defied the clichéd cinematic techniques so common today and it stuck by its literary guns, so to speak.

I enjoyed it immensely and would advise all film and fiction writing students to take a look at this unheralded film. This film would make a unique addition to any film buffs collection. and could also qualify as a great object lesson for would-be fiction writers, so like all great films it is important on two levels. for its writing and its filmmaking. This is simply a good piece of cinematic effort. It stands out.

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.

I was so utterly impressed with this film, I ended up spending half the time holding my head in my hands and taking deep breaths to try to calm down. This film was made for $30K! That just blows me away. It is well-shot and has great acting, but what makes it so amazing is the film is written so well. Reading the summary, the film had the potential to be trite and cheesey, but the story continually avoids the contrived, usual developments we've all come to expect from today's films. This team of film-makers is a production company's wet dream. If they can make a film this incredible for $30K, imagine what they could do with a "normal" budget.

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.

"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.