Pedro

Film about the life and activism of Pedro Zamora, I wasn't expecting much from this and I'm not sure why. I had seen the series of "The Real World' he was in and remembered him in a vague curiosity sort of way. Funny really that it took a film about his life for me to take notice of him I am a bit sad about that. 

I think I was the only female body in a cinema full of men ( at least I didn't see any other female bodies in there ) which I thought was kind of sad as I think it is important for men and women to share their stories with each other. It is our collective struggle and pain that makes us who we are as a community and these are the stories that remind us that we are all human and vulnerable and finite and beautiful and so much more than the easy stereotypes we use to identify and niche each other with.

It was a well crafted film with a good pace and narrative it managed to gather up the complex and full life of this young man and deliver quite succinctly the passion and determination of him to us as an audience. There wasn't a dry eye in that theatre by the end of it. We didn't hide our tears as we watched a bright and beautiful man fight with his condition and finally pass away at the age of 26. Together we mourned him, listened to his message, let our hearts break with each other and as we walked out of that theatre though we didn't know each others names, we didn't even really look at each other, we had shared something raw and painful and close to ourselves that we would not have done were it not for that darkened room and that powerful film.

My friend and I walked out into the sunlight hugged each other and cried for ourselves as much as anyone else and maybe we are selfish because of it. We didn't share that with anyone just him and me and tears in sunlight.