Last month I was emailed by Curious Chaser member Sprigs suggesting I watch the short film called ‘The Gift Giver’. I responded by saying that I had recently reviewed this film and I shared the link to the article I wrote thinking we were referring to the same film. I was pleasantly surprised when I read Sprigs’ reply and learned that there is actually another film that has the same name, and I couldn’t believe I didn’t already know about this film, because it’s fantastic. The first film I reviewed was the British film released in 2014, whereas the second film I am about to introduce you to (if you don’t already know about it) is the Canadian film released in 2017.
As this short film has a running time of 8 minutes, I am mindful of how much detail I share with you about the film in this article, because I don’t want to spoil any of the story for you, but I will say that the film is quick to introduce a powerful storyline through solid acting performances, as the story follows an interesting path. You can watch this film for free if you have an account at Vimeo, as the film was produced through the assistance of crowdfunding and I have included the link at the end of this article. If you don’t have an account at Vimeo, you can create one for free that will have you watching this film in minutes.
Released on August 2017 by Dresser Drawer Productions, The Gift Giver explores the subject of HIV-infection through a HIV support group setting. Rich and Sam are the two main characters, with Sam being a new person attending the support group and Rich being a more long-term group attendee and there are also appearances of several other group members who share their experiences with being HIV-positive. The film is split into three segments from two distinct parts, with the beginning and end segments being separated so we can be taken on a brief journey that bridges the story together. The end of the film is powerful when the story comes together, which gave me goosebumps.
The film was written and directed by Denis Theriault and was produced by Wayne Burns, who played Sam in the film and the cinematography is credited to Jordan Kennington. The film stars Wayne Burns as Sam, Kyle Mac as Rich, Alex Ozerov as Paul, Tanya Bevan as Theresa, Michael Ayres as Seth and Katie Messina is the female voice we hear from the group. Even though this film was extremely short, the acting is excellent and the actors all provided solid performances so we could get a better emotional understanding of the characters they were representing.
When a filmmaker is able to tell a story that leaves you feeling emotional, you know they have done a tremendous job and you are left with an appreciation for a quality story and impressive acting abilities. I urge you to take a few minutes of your time to watch this film so you can be touched by the work the production team and actors put into creating this film for their audience. As a particular audience that can intimately relate to the subject matter, this is an even more important film for you tune into. I am more than happy for us to continue to the conversation about what you think of the film and anything else you would like to mention in the comments section below, so please don’t read the comments until you watch the film to avoid any spoilers.
Click Here to Watch The Gift Giver at Vimeo
Featured Photo: © Dresser Drawer Productions.
Article ID: CC056
Version Control: 1.0 – January 7, 2023: Original article published.
Hi Jason thanks so much for your very constructive and helpful comments here regarding this amazing film – I hope you too find support to getting infected with HIV:-) still refusing your Prep I guess?
You’re welcome Carsten. This really is a great short film. Even though the film wasn’t long, it captured your attention through the great acting and unique subject matter. I still haven’t taken PrEP since I stopped taking it a few weeks ago.
Hey Jason, thanks so much for this reassuring personal update, and surely you are not for one second regretting that you decided to stop your prep? Guess you no longer use on-off prep treatment mine set either? Hugs Carsten
My pleasure Carsten and I don’t regret anything at all, I’m happy with my decision making to date. When I made the decision to stop taking daily PrEP, I decided to switch to on-demand PrEP as a way of helping me take the next step, but I haven’t taken any further pills at this stage, so it’s possible that I won’t, but we’ll just have to see how things go. Things are going great so far though and I’m happy with things as they are right now.
Jason just want to thank you for your encouraging reply, can I ask under what conditions you would consider engaging in accepting prep as a valid option for you after a now longer period of enjoying life as unmedicated? Guess there is a kind of parallel to my current off-my-hiv-treatment (a decision Tim Tyler so helpfully pointed out was the one I wanted mostly)
Hello Carsten, I haven’t set any particular guidelines, it’s more of me basing decisions on my instincts, so if I feel like I need to take a pill I will. But I have come a long way with processing my thoughts, so I think the threshold where I would have wanted to take a pill is a lot different now than it was 12 months ago, meaning that it’s less likely that I would feel the need to take a pill now, but in saying that, I do feel better having that option available to me if I decide I need to take this course of action. I have always listened to my instincts and they have taken care of me well, so I will continue to take this approach in the future.
Hello Jason, thanks for getting back to me here, helps me and hopefully you too: and to help eachother is indeed core values for us. And this is what Tim Tyler so warmly did for me, as I was in doubt regarding stopping my HIV treatment again and even if my instincts told me not to stop, TIm helped me realise just how much I wanted to stop and he helped to make that decision because he made me see things clearly. And I am so happy for you Jason how your instincts tell you your threshold for wanting to go back to PrEP is helping you NOT to and to me your instincts also are helping you to in foreseening future taking the final step to become infected with HIV which surely is your goal as well, HUGS
Hello Carsten, You’re welcome for the reply and I appreciate your response. I do admire Tim and I have done so for a long time, so I’m happy to hear that he has helped you achieve clarity with your decision making. I have always listened to my instincts and they have helped me reach the point where I am today, so I will continue to listen and be guided based on the way I feel about things and different situations.
I saw this film a couple of years ago, a little after I had come across the idea of chasing, found it strangely alluring, but couldn’t understand why – why it piqued something in me, nor why people would willingly pursue it. This film flicked a bit of a switch for me, and helped me take a positive step forward in identifying myself as a chaser.
I can see why this film would have flicked a switch within you after watching it Dec, because when we see someone who desires something we are feeling, we feel a connection to them and what’s happening and I can see this too after watching the film. I found the the ending a surprise when it all came together and I was figuring out who was who and what was happening. Right at the end when I discovered that Sam was not yet infected with the virus came as a shock to me, because I thought the middle segment was a flashback, but it wasn’t, unless I’m missing something, because it all seemed to feel like multiple segments from the same meeting. I’m glad you have been able to find something that has helped you feel more comfortable about things, as the emotions involved with bug chasing can make you feel lonely sometimes when you think you’re on your own, but we aren’t on our own and there are others who are also on the same path.
I don’t qualify for HIV support groups yet; so honestly, I don’t know if this is a fairly accurate representation. I can though understand how sexual attraction can evolve. I doubt there is any medical verification within the group. Easy to say undetectable in group; and on finding an unmedicated newbie; take a chance to share ones strain.
I can understand why a code. From a public health perspective, an astute administrator would see the opportunity for chasing; and thus attending be open only on a referral basis.
It definitely touches a number of emotional points I need to let settle before I watch it again…
Some dialogue was frustratingly difficult for me to hear… What did Rick say to Sam? And what was Sam’s response. That exchange was very quiet and intimate; which I would expect. But quiet enough that had I been standing 3 feet away I likely would never have understood it. If you’ve figured out those words, please let me know.
I’m also not sure whether the HIV support group setting is an accurate representation, as I haven’t attended a group setting like this either. The conversation was fairly quiet, which really made me concentrate on what was being said and I could tell that the guys were trying to keep their discussion quiet so it was more intimate and personal. Rich asks Sam a few questions about when he found out he was HIV+ and what medication he was taking and then Sam asks what it’s like, which at this point, Rich reaches the conclusion that Sam isn’t HIV+ and he’s interested in seeking the bug, but he answers his questions by saying it’s not a big deal and taking some pills each day. Rich then stresses the point about HIV being permanent, which is where he starts lining up the moment he’s preparing to offer the gift to Sam, then before the get into it, Rich asks Sam if he’s ready, to which he replies that he is. When Paul discovers Sam and Rich having sex, his facial expression is less than impressed. The quiet conversation, the darkness and the whole public setting really adds to the moment and I found myself really glued to what was happening, but I admit that I had to replay the conversation a couple of times to hear what was being said, so I think this part of the film should be made a little louder to help us hear what is being said more easily.
Just went back to watch again… Thought he was a chaser
Correct me if I am wrong, Sam was a chaser, who having a hard time accept his status after being gifted and still behaving reckless. Or is he still a chaser, hoping to meet up with a gifter at the meeting and did? Maybe they do it differently in Canada, but due to the stigma of HIV one can’t just show up at a support meeting. In the movie they make it look like an AA meeting. I have been to support meetings and I’m given a code to enter, and you don’t have to give your name. But people talk about whatever one wants to say… now their meds are making them nasus or loss of friends.
Thought the short film was good and they are truly emotional meetings. One of the reasons I stopped going to said meetings after attending two.
My understanding is that Sam attended the HIV support group so he could contract the virus on purpose and I’m thinking based on his comments that he’s HIV-negative and wanted someone from the group to share the gift with him, which in this case was Rich. I found it interesting that Rich was referring to taking medication, which he revealed during the conversation with Sam, yet he then checked with Sam to make sure it’s what he wanted before he fucked him, which then makes you believe he’s not taking medication and is actually detectable. So I’m wondering whether other bug chasers have also attended these meetings, which makes it the perfect place for Rich to share the gift with those seeking it. If this is the case, then everyone appears to be getting what they want from the situation, however, I’m sure the group leader wouldn’t be pleased if they knew this was happening. I wasn’t fully sure about things, which is why I’m glad you’ve opened up the conversation, but these are my thoughts anyway.
I have mixed feelings about Sam coming to a support meeting to find a gifter. After hearing people’s sad stories of catching the virus and accepting a load just minutes later is a sign of a “true bug chaser”.
I guess Sam was trying to figure out the best place to find someone equipped to share the virus with him and he figured this would be a great option. I do think your point about Sam still wanting to pursue the gift after hearing sad stories from others would make him a true bug chaser. I’m really interested in knowing more about whether there’s some motivation for Rich to be at these meetings, because it was like he honed in on Sam and offered to share what Sam was seeking, which is a place where you would not expect to see this kind of thing happening.
some poz people love to share with neg guys. They love Topping and giving a “true bug chaser” the bug is a bonus.
I know a guy (tattoos scorpion and& biohazard) up with who only wants to fuck neg guys… bareback and no pull-out. We hooked up twice and he planted 4 loads in me… I was on PrEP at the time and I never asked about his status. and he didn’t ask if I was on PrEP? 4 or 5 weeks later, we cross paths and in chatting he asked if tested lately and I said I was on PrEP and haven’t… he got mad about wasting time fucking a guy on PrEP.
I know a hot guy (HIV) in his upper 20’s that loves to Fuck, I don’t about meds but I hear he gets around.
Yes, that’s so true Steven. I don’t think that guy you were referring to should have been mad at you, considering he didn’t ask if you were on PrEP before he fucked you twice and came inside you four times. He sounds like a true gift giver if he got so upset about you being on PrEP, so I’m sure he would have changed his conversations after this to include HIV status and PrEP status with future encounters if he considers fucking guys on PrEP a waste of time. That other guy you referred to sounds like someone who likes to share his positivity with others and I wonder what his success rate is.
The way I read the movie is that there are 3 parts to it and they reordered the second and third parts for dramatic effect. Sam tells his story (the last segment) in the first half of the meeting which is why Rich says “that is some story, is it true?” when he meets Sam during the break outside after and from there they disappear to help Sam achieve his goal. I love the intensity of the two actors as they light the cigarette and talk in hushed tones outside. To me it just builds up from there, then in the last segment we learn what Sam shared at the meeting earlier which shows his intense need
This was a great short film Sprigs and I really appreciate you making me aware of it, because I didn’t know about it until you introduced me to it. I also loved the intensity of the two main characters and the hushed tones, which really captured your attention as you’re listening carefully to what they’re saying. I also like how they reordered the three sequences to add to the drama, and I really found this interesting, because it helped create the intense reaction you get at the end when you understand what is happening.
Steven, I imagine if my main goal once poz was to breed as many negative holes as possible, I could be mad at myself for “wasting” four loads.
This is sort of one of my struggles here in chaser land… 🙂 I am happy to receive a viral load; but the virus won’t thrive in me. But if it did, does this mean the demand for me as a sexual partner goes up once I’m viral?