As summer is nearing upon us, many are dreaming about their summer flings and other adventurous outings but after checking out Girl, Positive you will definitely want to re-evaluate how you spend your summer and the rest of your life.

Release Date: May 4, 2010
Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 87 Minutes

In Girl, Positive, seventeen-year-old Rachel Sandler (Andrea Bowen, “Desperate Housewives”) is shocked out of her carefree world when word spreads through her upper-middle class community that Jason, a popular athlete who recently died, was an IV drug user. But it’s a mysterious computer message that really hits home: Jason, who Rachel had unprotected sex with, may have been HIV positive. Wanting to learn more about HIV, Rachel is urged to visit the local AIDS clinic by her new substitute teacher, Sarah Bennet (Jennie Garth). While there, Rachel takes a rapid AIDS test, but panics and leaves before learning the results. When Sarah discovers Rachel’s test is positive, she breaks the shocking news to her, later revealing to Rachel that she herself has secretly been living with HIV for more than seven years. While both women wish to keep their privacy, they soon find out that with today’s technology of instant messaging, cell phones and blogs, gossip — just like the disease — can spread fast and furiously.

Girl, Positive is a very well produced film following one teen’s journey in finding out about HIV as it ultimately starts to take a hold of her life. The production quality is higher than the average Lifetime film, which is most likely due to Andrea Bowen and Jennie Garth leading the film. All of the other actors are seasoned and the writing, directing, and editing were all swell…so the all around quality of this film is superb. As for the story at hand, the film is very informative and yet very intriguing as viewers are always anticipating Rachel’s next move.

What is so fantastic about the situation Rachel finds herself in is that it is a lesson well learned for more than just her. One decision has affected the lives of not only her and her family but many lives of those who walk the halls with Rachel at school and thought they were invincible. The best part about this film is the integration of Rachel’s video blog that she is producing for the high school newspaper, as she asks hard hitting questions about HIV and the students’ answers are shared all throughout the film. There was a real genuine quality about the reactions of the students as gossip hits the school halls and portrayals of the informed and uninformed during the interviews.

Now while the film was excellent overall, the ending was somewhat rushed and could have had a much more powerful impact had viewers seen how Rachel’s life began to change after that memorable doctor’s visit. This film should definitely be seen by everyone from the middle school age and above, everywhere, to encourage everyone to be smart and safe…to save lives.

Own Girl, Positive on DVD today.