Local film makes nationwide debut on PBS

by Jack Garner
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle
August 30, 2006

If any film can be labeled the definitive study of the global impact of AIDS, it's A Closer Walk, a masterfully crafted documentary that takes viewers to the epicenters of the AIDS plague, from Africa to Asia to Europe to America.

Created by Rochester-based and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Robert Bilheimer, A Closer Walk gets its long-deserved national telecast on WXXI-TV (Channel 21, cable channel 11) and most other PBS stations at 9 Thursday.

The film provides, better than any other to date, the painful but essential overview of an unprecedented scourge.

"AIDS is the worst plague in human history," states Will Smith, who narrates the film along with Glenn Close. "Soon it will have killed more people than all the wars of the 20th century. But no one seems to know or even care much about it."

A Closer Walk is a warm-hearted and conscientious film, filled with patients, dedicated caregivers, passionate advocates and especially children, who you'll come to know, respect and maybe even love.

In an especially touching case, Bilheimer lingers at the bedside of a brave, emaciated little boy named Fezile in a ward in KwaZulu Natal, a province of South Africa. The boy seems lifeless while a doctor tells his story. But as Bilheimer pulls away, the boy gently raises his fist and gives a determined thumbs up.

The film's purpose is as effective as it is obvious: to make viewers see the humanity behind the numbing numbers.

The film also documents the link between AIDS and the world's disadvantaged.

Bilheimer interviews the Dalai Lama, who pleads for a richer sense of human responsibility, and U2's Bono, who worries about God's judgment on those who ignore this plague.

A Closer Walk has been beautifully photographed by Rochesterian Richard Young and his small crew. The film overflows with memorable images that reinforce its undeniable artistry, and they've been expertly edited by Anthony DeLuca, another Rochesterian. The most artful and important film made in my memory by an area filmmaker, A Closer Walk had a brief premiere in Rochester in 2003 and has been updated and slightly tightened for tonight's telecast.

Sure, A Closer Walk is a challenging and often painful film. But we must start somewhere — and I can't imagine a better place than with this incredibly humane motion picture.

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