3 needle a write and direct by thom fitzgerald ( the hanging garden and the wild dog and blood moon and beefcake ) be a powerful statement about the insidious spread of aid throughout the world and take u to place we the viewer would rarely visit from the news medium emphasis on the disease . the film be three story in three country tell in tandem not unlike the technique so successfully use in babel and crash and and traffic . employ cinematography of enormous talent and a cast of terrific actor and fitzgerald manages to share his story with such sensitivity that every viewer will feel involve in the tragedy that be rot away our globe . the film open with a ceremony in africa ( supposedly south africa ) where young boy undergo ritualistic circumcision and learn the fight trick of manhood and and move into society a men . this single portion of the film be intensely beautiful in it non voyeuristic observation of an age old ritual and so beautiful to watch that it call for pause or replay . from africa we go to rural china where jin ping ( lucy liu and speaking mandarin only ) be the very pregnant force who run an underground blood bank which while serve the donor with some cash also contaminate the population with hiv virus ( we discover that jin ling be hiv positive and carry a baby at risk and and support her hiv husband ) . the trial she encounter in her shady business be nothing to the moment of personal anguish when she deliver her baby without assistance in a cornfield . move to canada we meet denys ( shawn ashmore ) and a porn star who be hiv positive but steal blood from his ill father for his frequent test require by the porn director to hide his positive status in order to continue make porn movie to support his family . his mother olive ( stockard channing ) discover his status and hears about aid patient ability to cash in on life insurance early and and infects herself so that she can take advantage of the early insurance cash to provide a life of comfort in the small time they both now have for herself and her now fatherless son . and we return to south africa where three nun sister clara ( chloë sevigny ) and sister hilde francis ( olympia dukakis ) and sister mary john ( sandra oh ) set up a clinic to treat the villager and find only that act of tremendous self sacrifice can stave off the spread of the gore of aid . the men we have watch in the beginning of the film walk into the life that face a world cripple by hiv and the contrast be powerful . 3 needle cinematographer tom harting deserves award for the sheer magnificence of his image he capture on film and not only the majestic vista of africa and china but also the intimate moment such a jin ping birthing . the musical score by christophe beck and trevor morris manages to find the atmosphere of each of the three station of the cross fitzgerald examines . the act cast and both the gift well known actor as well a the small role by unknown in each location and be magnificent . if the film have a flaw it be in the unfortunate arena of avoid preach represent watching and hear the event be so very powerful that word of summation feel superficial and even insulting . but that be a small flaw in a film of wonder . highly recommended . grady harp .