"Get Yourself Tested" capaign kicks-off STD awaremess month
Why
MTV marks the beginning of STD Awareness Month Wednesday night with the premiere of "Pedro," a biopic celebrating the life of Pedro Zamora. Zamora, for those who didn't follow the early days of "reality" television, was the first openly HIV-positive person to become a prominent character on MTV's "The Real World," back in 1994. He died at the age of 22, not long after the show ended, but he used his high profile to raise awareness of sexually transmitted diseases. He caught the eye of President Clinton and is today regarded as a courageous pioneer in speaking openly about something that's still hard to talk about. "Pedro" was written by Dustin Lance Black, who won the Academy Award for "Milk," and while it's never fully triumphant, it moves past bleak to become defiant and hopeful. The film at first flirts with pseudo-documentary, re-creating scenes from "Real World" episodes in which Pedro (played by Alex Loynaz) was accepted by some housemates and mocked by others. To its credit, "Pedro" doesn't portray Zamora as a saint. He has an agenda for being on the show, and he tests people's patience with his relentless ability to stay "on message." It also acknowledges he contracted HIV from unprotected sex at a time when AIDS had been around long enough so he should have known that was not a good idea. But by portraying him as human, "Pedro" also humanizes everyone - from Sean, the man he started dating when he moved to San Francisco for the "Real World" taping, to his sister Mily, who came with Pedro and their parents from Cuba in the Mariel boatlift of 1980. Perhaps most intriguing is the relationship he develops and maintains with Judd (Hale Appleman), his roommate from "The Real World." Judd, a quiet fellow, becomes an ally in the "Real World" house and stays in touch after the filming ends. When Pedro is hospitalized, Judd is there, the Everyman whose presence tells all the other people that there's nothing to be afraid of. Pedro's fame flows like an undercurrent through the film without dominating it. Most of the scenes are more private, with family and friends adjusting to what is happening with Pedro. The camera lingers long enough on these intimate scenes, including the night of Pedro's death, that at times it's hard to watch. Which, in a sense, it probably should be - because the point, after all, is that Pedro Zamora knew how tough it was and faced it anyway.
Search Terms:
gyt.org, gyt09.org, gyt09, what is gyt, gyt 09,real world pedro, pedro from the real world, david puck rainey, real world new orleans, pedro zamora
References:
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2009/04/01/2009-04-01_mtv_celebrates_real_world_cast_member_pe.html,http://www.miamiherald.com/living/top-stories/story/958915.html,http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2009-03-31-pedro_N.htm,http://vevmo.com/f56/the-real-world-san-francisco-cast-2885/
