Horror has often been used as a way to reflect current world issues, and with Others, you have a film that hopes to be able to extinguish HIV stigma. It comes from Casey House and is directed by filmmaker and screenwriter Paul Shkordoff. This apparently is the first time an actor has been cast in a movie specifically because of their HIV status.
This takes place in a world where an undisclosed blood condition has caused parts of society to be classed as 'others', with the afflicted facing prejudice and curtailing of their rights, such as having to declare when and where they travel, and being set with curfews. Peter (Peter McPherson) is one such sufferer, and it is while he is on a road trip and his car breaks down that his troubles truly begin, with the arrival of a friendly stranger (Lora Burke) who offers him a lift.
This twenty minute film actually finishes around seventeen minutes in. The final three minutes feature small interviews with the cast and crew, with their reasons for why they chose to be involved in the movie. Does this work as a horror though? It does in different ways. First you have the visual prejudice of a ranger (John K Ng) who makes Peter go through intrusive inspections purely because he doesn't like 'others', then later on there is a more horror tinged moment which the film takes the interesting step of featuring an open end. It is never specified what the deadly blood affliction is in this world, so it works as a contrast with HIV, though in this world it is bad enough that there are protests held against the people suffering from it. From a tense start (which feeds back in at the end), you get an effective scene in a car that created a feeling of horror well.
When I heard of Others I was worried that it would be so focused on its message that it wouldn't tell a good story. I was pleased to see this worked well as a horror film, while personally I might have preferred a more in depth end to the short, I still think the way that was chosen was effective, while it was interesting to get some insight from the actors and filmmakers as a conclusion.
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