Films involving AIDS

AIDS: Major Films no photo.

Title	Place for Annie, A (1994) (TV Film)
Alternative/Original Title
Disability	AIDS
Country	USA
Length	?
Genre	Drama
Rating	4
Director	John Gray
Cast	Sissy Spacek Mary-Louise Parker S. Epatha Merkerson Joan Plowright Jack Noseworthy
Notes	A baby is diagnosed as being born with AIDS and a heroin habit, from her mother who was a "drug abuser". The general opinion in the hospital is that the baby will die but Spacek playing the 'good' doctor thinks otherwise. Discovering that it is very difficult to get foster care for such babies she decides to foster the baby herself. Here a wrong note is struck because the first thing Spacek does is look for a nanny for the baby. Being a busy doctor she doesn't have time herself so the fostering becomes an act of charity which isn't such a bad thing, better than the baby remaining in the hospital. Of course no one wants to care for a baby with AIDS so after a few unsuccessful calls she neglects to mention this. And along comes Joan Plowright. She hasn't cared for a child before but she has raised her own children. By the time the 'secret' is out Plowright is hooked. Though Spacek's teenage son isn't too keen on the new arrival. The action moves to one year later and Spacek wants to adopt, however the mother, Mary-Louise Parker, decides she wants the baby back. Now this is TV fare but this is the third respected actor who has appeared so we can't complain. A fairly routine script is raised by these three women. The mother despite living in a flophouse and being a chain smoker wins custody. But Spacek's doctor on top on being a saint invites the mother to come live with her. The working class mother doesn't adapt too well to the middle class home but she does have Plowright to look after the baby. Then it is discovered that the baby is not HIV positive after all (she had HIV anti-bodies but not the virus). That's the good news but the mother is taken into hospital with AIDS related complications and asks that they turn off the usual pipes and stuff and let her die. Spacek won't allow it and the mother comes out only to decide to go to a hospice because she doesn't want the baby to see her die. Definitely above average because of Spacek, Parker and Plowright. Plowright is the not so beautiful but great English actress who married Laurence Olivier when he divorced from the very beautiful Vivien Leigh.

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