Peter has HIV, which means he’s an “Other.” It’s written on the lanyard he must always carry with him. Despite his attempts to live a normal life, Others like Peter face discrimination at every turn and are forced to live in fear and isolation. This comes to a head after Peter accepts a ride from a seemingly friendly stranger. In the end, he finds the strength to stop running from fear and stigma and face it head on

80 % of people with HIV say they’re afraid to disclose their status for fear of being judged and rejected by friends, loved ones, and society at large.

As part of its ongoing #SmashStigma campaign, Casey House, a specialty hospital for those living with HIV and AIDS, wanted to harness the power of fear to show the devasting impacts of stigma. We wanted people to experience fear firsthand, to help them better understand what HIV+ people face every day.

We created a short horror film based on the fears and lived experiences of 6 people with HIV. After the film, viewers watched a short documentary in which each of the 6 people spoke about life as an “Other.” The film is ultimately a portrait of an individual trying to navigate the symptoms of HIV stigma and stay one step ahead of a pervasive fear that follows him everywhere he goes. Directionally, and through cinematography, we wanted to stay close to our main character, Peter, who is HIV+, and show him attempting to live a life of relative normalcy that is constantly under threat by fear and ignorance.

The HIV crisis in the 80s was focused on the disease itself. Now the disease is treatable, and stigma has become the crisis. Fear is what fuels stigma: the fear to disclose and the irrational fear of contraction. Stigma can affect one’s personal life, employment, access to healthcare—even something as simple as finding a dentist, which many of us might take for granted.