Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt

I've got to say that I hadn't thought of this incredible film in a while, but it came up recently (the current year is 2009) and I decided to check out the reviews here. The reviews, all by themselves, and the memory of the film, and the music, and of what the film meant and of the stories of the people in it, made me cry all over again--THAT'S how powerful it is, memories of it in my heart 20 years later.

In my view, this movie should be required viewing for all those people out there who still hate. And for all those precious people out there who genuinely love, this movie will find a welcome home in your heart, whether this be a first viewing, or a refreshed memory from decades ago.

On the 20th Anniversary of World AIDS Day I sat down and watched this profoundly moving documentary that packs as much of an emotional wallop now as it did when I first saw it back in the very early 90's – I cried my eyes out. It was a time when many of my friends and acquaintances were suffering and dying from AIDS and many others were living with HIV. A time before combination therapy and drugs - for those who are able to access and afford them - helped prolong the lives of people living with HIV. The 'storytellers' are everyday people whose lovers, friends or family died of AIDS and who found an outlet to remember them and deal with their grief through the Quilt project. Their stories are inspirational, and the film beautifully constructed. Highly Recommended.

I wasn't born until the 90's and personally don't know anyone who died from AIDS, but Common Threads left an empty gap in my heart as if these lives lost were my own friends and family. This film was a beautiful tribute to the men, women and children lost to a horrible disease.

Bobby McFerrin wrote a song for this movie called "Common Threads" which plays on and off throughout the film. The song fits the somber mood of the film and sticks with you along with the names and faces that were among the many lost in the battle against AIDS.

The stories will touch you and will be burned into your memory. The film is also incredibly depressing. The beginning of the 80's when the AIDS epidemic began seems almost spooky. Here is this disease that causes such horrific suffering and death and doctors knew little about it or the cause.

AZT wasn't approved by the FDA until 1987. It's so sad to think that these people knew their days were numbered and that the gruesome fate of AIDS and horrible death was imminent. There was a huge stigma and many didn't get the patient centered care they deserved.

Contaminated factor 8 was another tragedy that ended up being a death sentence for people who thought they were getting just a simple blood transfusion or routine treatment for hemophilia. David Mandell Jr., a young boy with hemophilia, was one of the lives lost due to this grave mistake. It shattered my heart into a million pieces as his parents discussed making his last Christmas extra special for him and hearing him talk to ALF, a character from his favorite show. Here is this sweet innocent child frozen in time. He never had the chance to grow up all because a product he needed was contaminated with HIV.

Throughout the film you get to see volunteers, bereaved families and friends work on this incredible quilt. I loved seeing all of the contributions and later looked up the virtual quilt that lets you scan the full quilt and see everyone's names. I highly recommend paying a tribute and checking it out after you watch this film.

Every life has a story. Here are a few of the stories of people who died from AIDS, told by their survivors.

More than three quarter of a million Americans have died from AIDS since we began to notice it, about forty years ago. Worldwide, the figure seems to be a bit more than 40 million. Do a little math, and we as a nation look lucky. Human lives are not measured statistically, and people do not die by nations, but individually. Try to speak of the enormity of something, saying eighty million people have died from AIDS, or 6.9 million from COVID-19 or what have you and the horror and sadness gets lost in the the crowd. But one by one, with those they leave behind to assess the values of those lives. "My son died"; "My lover died"; "My friend Jim died": these are the words that make me weep. That's why this movie is so effective.

Winning the 1990 Oscar for Best Documentary, this originally aired on HBO. Watching After Stonewall reminded me of this documentary, and even just seeing the Quilt on THAT program made me tear up - simply from the memory of this documentary.

As a documentary, it's not very impressive - it's pretty rote and basic. However, in 1990, AIDS was still a strong fear - remember, the next year Bruce Davison was nominated for Longtime Companion - but the Bobby McFerrin music and the visuals affected me, in the same way that the Vietnam War Memorial scene from In Country.

This is a must-see documentary.