3 Needles (2005)

Calificación de los usuarios:

6.6/10   

Director:

Thom Fitzgerald

Guionista:

Thom Fitzgerald (writer)

Fecha de Lanzamiento:

1 diciembre 2006 (Singapore)

Género:

Drama

Frase comercial:

Where Despair Prevails, Hope Lives.

Plot:

A three-paneled look at the worldwide AIDS crisis: in Montreal, a porn actor (Ashmore) schemes to pass his mandatory blood test; a young nun (Sevigny) makes a personal sacrifice for the benefit of a South African village; in rural China, a black market operative (Liu) posing as a goverment-sanctioned blood drawer jeopardizes an entire village's safety. |

Plot Keywords:

AIDS | Nun | China | Montreal | Gang Rape

Premios:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Comentarios de los usuarios:

A Nutshell Review: 3 Needles

Reparto

Mabel Adams	...	Nahmnru, the African Grandmother
Asckt	...	Tea Picker
Shawn Ashmore	...	Denys, the Porn Actor
Caroline Aspirot	...	Stripper
Nontombi Bovana	...	Grandchild
Rob Burns	...	Broker
Stockard Channing	...	Olive Cowie, the Porn Actor's Mother
Chin Han	...	Soldier Xuan
Tanabadee Chokpikultong	...	Tong Sam, the Rice Farmer
Yotaka Cheukaew	...	Qi, the Rice Farmer's Daughter (as Yotaka Chorkreaw)
Eric Codana	...	Abakeweta
Catherine Colvey	...	Clara the Novice's Mother (scenes deleted)
Kathryn Costello	...	Tourist
Steven Crowder	...	Depanneur Manager
Douglas Cwaba	...	Hermit
Isabelle Cyr	...	Canadian Health Care Worker
Wentahawi Dionne-Elijah	...	Native Porn Actress
Olympia Dukakis	...	Hilde the Missionary Nun
Noloyiso Dusubana	...	Newborn Baby
Gary Farmer	...	Winker at Support Group
Thierry Fargeau	...	Porn Cinematographer
Jessie Gabe	...	Waitress at Diner
Simone-Elise Girard	...	Waitress Who Serves the Porn Actor
Isabelle Guérard	...	Goth Girl (scenes deleted)
Aliswa Guili	...	Zhara the Eldest Granddaughter
Philisande Guili	...	Grandchild
Noma-Oleji Guili	...	Grandchild
Thantokazi Guili	...	Klipikwela, Raped Grandchild
Roz Grewar	...	Pool Table Slut (scenes deleted)
Mbutuma Gubo	...	Traditional Surgeon
Tyson Hall	...	Rapist
Alwyn van den Heever	...	Isaac the Missionary
John Ho	...	Tour Bus Guide
Bryan Hofbauer	...	TJ the Missionary
Christine Jacobson	...	Tourist
Karen Jacobson	...	Tourist
Christine Jacobsen	...	Tourist
Clinton Jolobe	...	Rapist
Lewis Kollar	...	Missionary
Roc LaFortune	...	Porn Director
Veronique LaPointe	...	Stripper
Pierre Leblanc	...	Eggs Benny Guy
Sook-Yin Lee	...	Tong Xiu, the Rice Farmer's Wife
Kaew Lipiwongwattanakiu	...	Doctor
Cecilia Cho Liu	...	Hospital Receptionist
Lucy Liu	...	Jin Ping, the Blood Smuggler
Cecilia Che Liu	...	Hospital Receptionist
S.S. Liwdani	...	Policing
Doug Maclean	...	Erotic Boom Operator (as Doug MacLean)
Linda Madaza	...	Policing
Curtis Maninjwa	...	Hallyday's Driver
Pearl Matott	...	Matron
Lawrence Maxongo	...	Angry Father
Nkuleko Mauimbeni	...	Abakeweta
Tembaukosi Mbadu	...	Sivuyile, Who Is Baptised in the River
Anele Mbangata	...	Abakeweta
Siv Mbelu	...	Bongile
Gregoriane Minot Payeur	...	Spunky Chin (as Grégoriane Minot)
William Mtakati	...	Father Dahmnu
Kolekile Ngilana	...	Abakeweta
Lolly Ngxola	...	Huku's Bride
Velephi Njiva	...	Patient
Nomgavoa Nomachule	...	Hallyday's Domestic
Nancy Nomankantsu	...	Mounhera, the Pregnant African Woman
Dotor Ntlangenisela	...	Iggirha
Sandra Oh	...	Mary the Nun
Aubert Pallascio	...	Herold, the Porn Actor's Father
Suwimon Petcharayutporn	...	National Representative (as Suwimon Petcharayayutporn)
Koson Peungsiri	...	Houng, the Rice Farmer's Neighbour
Gog Prisatien	...	Man Who Sells Bike
Judith A. Richard	...	Stripper (as Judith Richard)
Ian Roberts	...	Hallyday, the Plantation Owner
Richard Robitaille	...	Insurer
Witchai Saeli	...	Guard
Supanat Sasipongpana	...	Harry, the Blood Smuggler's Son
Chloë Sevigny	...	Clara the Novice
Orlando Sebeni	...	Undilewe, the Grandson
Anele Solwandle	...	Huku
Linda Smith	...	Lonely Housewife
Ian Sternthal	...	Bug Chaser
Suthep Tangtaweesukho	...	Herbalist
Chaiyaporn Torphorn	...	The I.V. Man (as Chaiyaporn Torpon)
Marc Trottier	...	Firefighter
Madodandile Tsheleni	...	Abakeweta
Akarin Tungboriboonkit	...	Provincial Representative
Aroon Wanatsabadeewong	...	Zao Hao, the Blood Collector
Glen Dudley Watt	...	Missionary
Peerawat Yanoo	...	Lab Tech
Micheline Beaulieu
Gilles Bernard
Jocelyne Bienvenue
Chantal Boivin
Marcel Bréard
Jean Campos
Francis Ciara
Maxine Croteau
Phillippe Darren
Serge Dauphin
Mary Dbl
Andrew Dent
Normand Depelteau
David Johnston
Karl Lebak
Karleen Lebak
Pierre Masson
Katia Minarikova
Tommy Pépin
Dave Picard
Dominique Rankin
Daniel Riccio
Francine Trudel
Sébastien Valade
listado alfabético del resto del reparto:
Cory Bowles	...	Amos (uncredited)

Dirigida por
Thom Fitzgerald

Créditos del guión (en orden alfabético)
Thom Fitzgerald		writer

Producida por
Mark Bennett	....	associate producer
Thom Fitzgerald	....	producer
Robert A. Flutie	....	consulting producer
Michael Gleissner	....	executive producer
Bryan Hofbauer	....	producer
Brad Horvath	....	associate producer
Vicki McCarty	....	consulting producer

Música original por
Christophe Beck
Trevor Morris

Fotografía por
Tom Harting

Montaje por
Susan Shanks

Casting
Mark Bennett

Diseño de producción por
Lek Chaiyan Chunsuttiwat

Dirección artística
Janni Van Staden

Decorados
Lek Chaiyan Chunsuttiwat

Diseño de vestuario por
James A. Worthen

Departamento de maquillaje
Maria Hofmeyer	....	makeup artist

Dirección de producción
Marc Almon	....	production supervisor
Pierre Laberge	....	production manager
Laurette Marais	....	unit production manager
Mutita Na Songkla	....	production manager

Ayudante de dirección
Marielou Bélisle-Pierre	....	second assistant director
Sompot Chidgasornpongse	....	second assistant director
Amanda Law	....	second assistant director
Jason Shipley	....	first assistant director
Alwyn van den Heever	....	assistant director

Departamento de Arte
Laura MacNutt	....	set decorator: Halifax
Andy Miller	....	property master
Victor R. Sypersek	....	art director: Halifax

Departamento de sonido
Scott Donald	....	adr editor
Philippe Espantoso	....	sound re-recording mixer
David Gertsman	....	sound effects editor
Steven Gurman	....	sound
Akritchalerm Kalayanamitr	....	production sound (as Akrit Chaya-ngam)
Francois Maurice	....	dialogue editor
Francois Maurice	....	sound editor
Max Tersch	....	sound utility
Narathip Tungkaseranee	....	boom operator
Frank Verderosa	....	adr recordist
Frank Verderosa	....	sound recording engineer

Visual Effects
Stevie Ramone	....	digital compositor
Robin Trickett	....	visual effects coordinator
Mark Tureski	....	film scanning and recording

Cámara y Departamento Eléctrico
Thierry Fargeau	....	assistant camera

Departamento de reparto
Raweeporn 'Non' Srimonju	....	casting: Thailand

Departamento de vestuario
Maria Hofmeyer	....	wardrobe
Victoria Rockwell	....	assistant costume designer

Departamento de Edición
Rob Tough	....	assistant editor

Departamento de Música
Scott Brion	....	music supervisor
Todd Haberman	....	composer: additional music

Otros miembros del equipo
Tongsuk Apiruksub	....	production accoutant: Thai
Mélanie Côté	....	location manager
Tarryn Greybè	....	pre-production coordinator
James Milligan	....	production accountant
Scottpatrick J. Sellitto	....	international director marketing and publicity
Sudkamol Tangtham	....	location manager: Thailand
Apiradee 'Joy' Thongprachan	....	location assistant

Gracias
Harley Bauer	....	special thanks
Chris Roland	....	special thanks

Compañías Productores

• Bigfoot Entertainment
• Emotion Pictures

Distribuidores

• America Video Film (2008) (Argentina) (all media)
• America Video (2008) (Argentina) (all media)
• Archer Entertainment Asia Pacific (2006) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (2008) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Arsenal Pictures (2006) (non-USA) (all media)
• Covington USA (2006) (USA) (theatrical)
• Eurocine Films (2007) (Spain) (all media)
• Golden Village Entertainment (2006) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Seville Pictures (2005) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Showtime Networks (2006) (USA) (TV)
• Wolfe Releasing (2006) (USA) (all media)

Otras Compañías

• Dancing Mice Productions  special thanks
• Murphy PR  publicity
• Optic PR  special thanks

También conocida como:

Three Needles (USA) (alternative spelling)
3 agujas (Spain: Castilian title) (DVD title) [es]
Los caminos de la vida (Argentina) (DVD title) [es]

Duración:

USA:127 min | Canada:123 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | Canada:125 min (DVD) | Argentina:127 min

País:

Canada

Idioma:

Afrikaans | Mandarin | Xhosa | Francés | Inglés

Color:

Color

Relación de Aspecto:

1.85 : 1

Sonido:

Dolby Digital

Clasificación:

Hong Kong:IIB | Singapore:M18 | Australia:M | USA:Not Rated | Argentina:16 | Singapore:R21 (DVD rating)

Locaciones de Filmación:

Canada

Compañía:

Bigfoot Entertainment

Trivialidades:

The funeral and wedding scenes where completely unrehearsed. During the shooting of both scenes most cast and crew where moved to tears.

Conexiones de Película:

References The Passion of the Christ (2004)

Banda de Sonido:

The Motion

A Nutshell Review: 3 Needles

Released in Singapore to coincide with World Aids Day (1 Dec), it actually took me this long to cast my eyes on the movie, no thanks to weird and limited screenings at one or two theatres. Perhaps it's because of the subject matter, about that disease which, as far as I can recall, doesn't get named at all in the movie, which probably won't sit down well with audiences who are up for the latest feel good movies in town this holiday season.

Written and directed by Thom Fitzgerald, 3 Needles comprises of 3 distinct stories set in 3 distinct continents - Asia, North America and Africa, but looks into a common killer disease that is plaguing our world today. It takes a look at common fears of those who have the disease, and those from high risk groups who fear of getting the disease, as well as the bad practices and schemes as perpetrated by the greed of men, eager to sacrifice all to make a quick buck.

The story arcs, in my opinion, were not weaved together to form one long narrative. Rather, it looked as if 3 short stories were glued together at the seams to make up the runtime sufficient to call itself a feature film. The first had an illegal blood trafficker, Jin Ping (Lucy Liu), milking all that its worth in a small Chinese village, and for US$5 per packet of blood, managed to entice villagers to undergo unlicensed blood donation drives for a few dollars. Next, we have a porn star Denys (Shawn Ashmore, Iceman in X-Men2 and 3) who, while aware he has the disease, covers up this knowledge through tampering with the provision of blood samples, fearing otherwise he would lose his job in the adult entertainment industry. And lastly, a group of nuns (Chloe Sevigny, Olympia Dukakis, Sandra Oh) journey to a South African village to assist in the care of the villages, only to have Sister Clara (Sevigny) deciding whether it's worth compromising her beliefs, in order to help those she cares for.

When watching these stories, you'll feel a sense of injustice as the characters do what is obviously morally incorrect. You feel angry at the way blood is trafficked without regard to safety and basic hygiene, you feel disgusted at how selfishness clouds the mind into deceit, and the better to go with others rather than oneself, and you feel sorry for the way sacrifices have to be made, while wishing eternal damnation to those who choose to exploit situations for their own gratification. As a movie, if its objectives is to make you feel for the issues presented, then it's done its part.

However, as I mentioned earlier, I find it rather strange that HIV or AIDS is never mentioned explicitly. Could it be there this "disease which shall not be named" is following its self- fulfilling prophecy amongst men that it is shameful to be infected, and the misconception that victims were actually asking for it when they engage in risky activities, to follow the common attitude to hush it all up, and choose to disbelieve the bringing forward of the expiry date on their lives?

As a movie, the presentation is rather plain, and I thought that the narrative probably would be better if the stories were somehow spliced together neatly so that it flows nicely from one arc to the next, rather than opting for the lazy obvious way to segregate them. While nothing controversial is discussed, there are a few scenes that will raise a few eyebrows, and the best amongst those involves a very pregnant Lucy LIu in a field. I don't think I've seen any such scenes in graphic detail, and definitely not in the manner presented. Beats the one which is most talked about involving Chloe Sevigny.

It doesn't offer you new insights into the disease, but exhibits on common fears from both sides, and offers the dramatization of unscrupulous acts which help to propagate the problem on a much larger scale. If you're intrigued to watch it, you have to do so soon as I suspect it wouldn't last another week at the screens. Look out too for the local actor, Ng Chin Han (from the local television "comedy" series dud Masters of the Sea) in quite a meaty role as a Chinese soldier.