Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2008. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The New York Times - September 19, 2008
Nathan Lee
Emily Abt takes a common enough approach to her subject by focusing on the lives of two afflicted women. Chevelle is a recovering drug addict with a loving fianc , a young son and abundant, if nervous, optimism. Tara is a former prostitute and childhood victim of sexual abuse who struggles to survive operations for cervical cancer while negotiating a relationship with her sexually demanding boyfriend.
We meet these strong, immensely likable women through a third, Mehret Mandefro, a young doctor committed to researching the root causes of the high infection rate among black women. What lends "All of Us" such unusual force is the candor with which Dr. Mandefro turns her investigation on herself, questioning her ability to control her sex life and enter relationships unencumbered by dangerous assumptions.
This blurring of the doctor-patient divide shows the common ground all women have in negotiating bedroom politics, and elevates what might have been just another downbeat issue movie into a striking feminist inquiry.
ALL OF US
Opens on Friday in Manhattan.
Directed by Emily Abt; director of photography, Ms. Abt; edited by Geeta Gandbhir; music by Tensai Berhanu, Eric Liebman and Sefanit Mesfin; produced by Ms. Abt and Reva Goldberg; released by Pureland Pictures. At the Cinema Village, 22 East 12th Street, Greenwich Village. Running time: 1 hour 22 minutes. This film is not rated.
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