Co-directed by Ann S. Kim and Priya Giri Desai, two women with CVs packed full of field experience in social and public health issues and community building, “Lovesick” is a documentary about love in the time of HIV in India. Backed by a grant from Sundance, a successful Kickstarter program and other awards, the documentary has been filmed in 8 years of observation of two gentle and resilient souls' parallel, personal stories and dialogue with one of the most outstanding and humane doctor in the HIV research field.
In the early 80s, professor of microbiology Suniti Solomon started to read publications about this new disease called AIDS/HIV and decided to investigate it in her own country. In those days in India, it would have been next to impossible to identify a gay community for researching purposes and therefore she had the idea to test the sex workers. In 1986, she found and isolated the first case on HIV in the country and, in times where other doctors didn't even want to touch HIV patients, she became a pioneer in the field and went on to find YERG CARE, India's first HIV/AIDS clinic. But her dedication to fight the epidemic and her devotion to the patients' lives has progressed and adjusted during the years to fit the constantly evolving social issues, linked to the disease.
Lovesick screened at Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles
HIV patients can live a long and relatively healthy life with the help of anti-retroviral medications that India now produces locally, but the stigma that still comes attached to this illness leads to a series of obstacles to a sought-after happy life. Love and relationships are the bigger looser in this game especially in a country where marriage is sacred and failing at it could be an equally heavy social dishonor. Indeed, matchmaking is a serious profession in India and Dr. Solomon in her late-life career has put her patients database to good use, in order to help them to find the right partners. Like modern-day alchemist,s she and her team try to match by religion, education, professional status, but also – and most importantly – by white blood cell counts (CD4) and viral loads.
The movie follows the specific cases of Karthik and Manu. Karthik is a reserved professional who was infected by hospital transfusions and has been living with HIV for 16 long years. On the other hand, Manu is a lively and confident woman, her story similar to many Indian women, she got HIV from her first husband who had kept it a secret from her.
On top of their genuine longing for love and companionship, they feel the enormous pressure from their families and from society, as well as the burdensome necessity of protecting their secret. The camera is detached and discreet and gives the couple plenty of room for a torrent of thoughts and reflections, mixed with the wits of Dr. Solomon who at the same time recalls her own marital experience and her career.
“Lovesick” is a fresh observation of an extremely old fashion and slightly disputable social obligation, which is nevertheless, a deeply ingrained and inseparable part of Indian life. Moreover, there is something extremely uplifting and moving in observing how love and tradition find their way through the crevices and cracks of some unpredictable aspects of modern life and the unfolding of Karthik and Manu's intertwined destinies makes it a compelling watch. The film is also a tribute to the extraordinary Dr. Solomon – who sadly passed away shortly after the completion of “Lovesick” – and hopefully a vehicle for her loud and clear message that educating and talking about sex are the most powerful tools.
