Pop culture guru David Ferguson is back with a look at the Troye Sivan movie ‘Three Months’, the depiction of HIV testing in movies and culture and how things have changed for the better.
Troye Sivan announced on Instagram that he will be making his debut as a leading man in the upcoming film Three Months, which will be available to stream from tomorrow.
While the singer has appeared previously in movies like X-men Origins: Wolverine and Boy Erased, for which he won a Golden Globe for his original song, Revelation, this will be the first movie with him as the central character. It is also reported that he will be providing two new songs for Three Months.
Written and directed by Jared Frieder, the movie tells the story of Caleb Kahn who gets a text from a one-night-stand who he never thought he’d hear from again, they then inform him they have just tested positive for HIV. Set in 2011, the title Three Months refers to amount of time it will take Caleb to get his own test results back.
Of course things have changed a lot since 2011. With Rapid HIV tests, people can get their results straight away. In Dublin, you can get free testing across various venues thanks to the wonderful volunteers at MPOWER amongst others and there’s also the ability to order free self-tests.
In Irish culture, depictions of those living with HIV have proved to be empowering. We have seen the likes of activists Robbie Lawlor and Veda working to reduce the stigma of HIV with their Poz Vibe podcast, while the recent exhibition Living featured People Living With HIV, such as Panti Bliss, sharing their stories to combat ignorance.
On the Irish film front, the upcoming Virgin Media Dublin International Film Festival includes the movie How To Tell A Secret, which covers HIV disclosure and represents the experiences of People Living With HIV in Ireland.
I am looking forward to seeing the Troye Sivan film Three Months as it is being produced by the people behind Juno (love that movie), and hopefully it will have a positive impact by opening up discussions and perhaps even leading to a rise in people getting tested for HIV similar to that which was seen as a result of 2021’s smash hit Channel 4 series, It’s A Sin.
You can check out more of David Ferguson’s pop culture musings here.
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