CURTIS (2004 documentary, full movie)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ส.ค. 2024
- CURTIS (2004, Sundance, documentary, 35 min) is a loving portrait of Curtis Wheeler (1950-2003), a dancer and artist fighting to keep his independence and dignity as the end of his struggle with HIV-AIDS takes him in and out of hospice care.
By Jacob Akira Okada
www.firstencounterproductions.com
What a heartbreaking disease with such an awful stigma attached to it. Curtis was a kind beautiful soul. This disease has robbed the world of such talented beautiful people way too soon. My mother included who was a brilliant artist and person. I was robbed of my beautiful mother. It's not fair. I miss all the beautiful souls who were snatched way too soon. Rip curtis,mom,and all the brave beautiful souls gone too soon. This made me so emotional!!!
Thank you for sharing your story
My condolences to you for you Mom, my Dad fell ill of this as well. Your right, this made me so emotional too. When someone you know and love so dearly goes through this it hits different to watch videos about it. To think of what a loved one may have felt while they were ill hurts deeply, badly, and makes you feel extreme sympathy for the person. May God heal us all.
🙏🏾♥️🙏🏾
Sorry to hear about your mom. I can only imagine the pain you must have
felt when you lost her. My condolences
My condolences goes out to you and your loved ones
God bless the lady and ALL the volunteers who visit and care for the sick and shut in.
YYYYAASSSS
I am grateful he chose to share his story.
With his decaying body...his eyes carried their sparkle.
This is an interesting intimate view into someone's perspective.
I feel like the people that stumbled across this short documentary were led here to hear Curtis' wisdom.
💯☝🏽👏🏽✝️❤️fantastic Man⭐️💫
I agree. He’s a very interesting man isn’t he? Well spoken, and world traveled. I bet he had wonderful stories to tell.
I absolutely agree I had been wondering what if I actually took time for myself solo how much more I could understand my purpose. Though I am in perfect health physically I was in desperate need mentally to find peace and I have been enlightened that I am most important no matter what and I have Curtis to thank for my confirmation ✨🦋🦋
Me too I felt like I was lead here .. and undeserving of so all in the same breathe.. being reminded of who I am lost in the chaos of it all .. a restorative nostalgia of the time period ..I feel like it was all meant to be ...
I receive that 🙃
I saw this! It was moving! Curtis was very talented as he could be! AIDS took a lot of great people! May they all RIP won't be forgotten!!!
This is so inspiring… we take living for granted… thank you Curtis…
wow Curtis really inspired me! I am going through a bit of a dark time and his words and advice for life are so true and helpful. I need to force myself out of this dark place and do something productive and beautiful! Think about my judgement day and having God watch the "videos" of Christine's life" better make it a good one! Thank you Curtis! thank you I will appreciate today and hopefully many more thanks to your inspiration!
christine don't know if you'll ever read this, consider volunteering. productive, beautiful feeling of giving back just for the sake of giving. brings lite into that dark place.
@@lyndapierson6338 that is excellent advice!
Are u outta ur dark place ?... I hope so
I often feel like I'm doing nothing worthwhile, like I'm absolutely stuck and have no idea which way to turn. And I don't know how I'm going to resolve that overall, or even if I ever will.
But, there is one thing that I do that makes me feel wonderful no matter what else is going on, and that thing is volunteering at my local animal shelter. When I am cleaning out cat cages- making their space nice and fresh, giving them a new cozy blanket and clean food and water bowl on top of fresh newspaper, totally scrubbed litter box with new litter, topping it all off with a cuddle and a toy- then I feel so so good and like I'm necessary to the world for a moment, like I am unquestionably doing something worthwhile. It is just the one thing that I know I can always rely on to remind me that, regardless of all the crazy things going on in the world around me, what matters in life most are simple moments when you are helping and connecting with other lives on this planet. There are a million ways to volunteer and to do something good for the world, this is just one way that I know can really help the giver and the receiver. I wish you great luck on your journey and hope that you find fulfillment
@@lashermayfair0 Thank you for helping out the little animals. They depend on us. Your kind heart brings sweetness to this world. If you haven't noticed, we need all of the extra sweetness in the world we can get. Peace and blessings to you!
I’m not sure how I got here , but I’m glad I didn’t leave. This man was amazing
I don't know how I ran upon this documentary. But I was intrigued by the life of Curtis. All his life's journeys and education was absolutely amazing. I also love how articulate he was I imagined all the beautiful places and people he encountered. He was such a humble and witty man. Aids didn't win in my heart he did. Funny thing is by this day and time people are living longer more healthy lives in 2022. Aids is no longer the death sentence society was led to believe it was early on.
Long✨LIVE🦋🦋🦋🦋
CURTIS 🕊️🕊️💜💜💜
so very true ,you. an live a normal life like everyone else ,and even have unprotected sex if your undectable ,with out passing the virus because you only carry the antibodies that you couldn't even imagine 30years ago😊
I stumbled upon this docu. Glad I did! For a brief moment, I got to spend some time with Curtis and I enjoyed his company. He had such a calm and wise outlook till the end. Thank you Curtis for sharing a part of your life and world with us.
"the ability to create something is sometimes a medicine in and of itself." Curtis Wheeler. Thank you to Curtis and the filmmakers for sharing this beautiful treat and a small piece of his legacy with us. My father passed of AIDs complications in 1991. His older brother tragically died 3 years prior and he had the same fear that he did not want my grandmother to bury 2 sons. My dad liked to draw and was into photography and tech. This resonated on so many levels. ❤️🖤💚 such a heartwrenching loss of so many bright & beautiful souls💔🕊
So sorry for your loss; your father sounds like he was an incredibly talented.
@@jackbrown4120 in 2002 my father in-law died of complications from AIDS too. He was bright and intelligent, the only orthopedic nurse in the hospital where he practiced nursing. God bless his soul.
His talent is amazing.
32:16
I agree
That was great
Ikr, he really was talented. His home 🏡 was beautiful. RIP Curtis 🙏 😇💙❣
Amazing I never seen a documentaries like this his spirit OMG how beautiful he kept painting how inspiring this is...he said AIDS was like a jealous person it didn't want him to create or do what u loved and he kept doing it til the end!!!! Man I'm not even sick and I dont even have the willpower or the drive to keep doing what I love....n now I have no excuses...Thanks for sharing...
Wow! This was exquisite, painful, and inspiring. What an amazing and talented person. This makes me extra sad as a person who grew up a few blocks away from Rivington House, it devastates me how the gentrification of New York has prioritized luxury housing over the needs of people like Curtis. The Rivington House was closed down to be replaced with luxury condos when soo many people in the Lower East Side need it's care. People like Curtis have given soo much beauty, culture, and sophistication to New York City and they deserve to be have a place here.
It shows that life is so short and precious, he was full of talent.
God bless him he lived a full amazing life
What a brave man. Thank you Curtis for giving us a glimpse into your life. Rest well 🙏🏾
HIV and AIDS doesn’t discriminate, I wish more people would understand that 😥🤦🏼♀️
Actually it does technically it only effects people with CCR5 and CCR4 if you don't have them you can't get HIV
Even though he was sick he still looked pretty young.
RIP 🙏🏽 Mr. Curtis you are a very talented man I’m so glad I watch this video
when he said the disease can make his body ugly but it cant make his doul ugly that touched my heart and soul so much. such an empowering thing to say and feel and live by. so admirable, such strength
My Best Friend died of AIDs 1987
I still think of her.
❤
I want to give him a hug. Why am I crying???? My heart aches for anyone who suffers. I needed this today. Peace to all....
Art is an excellent means of coping or recovering from any kind of stress, depression, mania, or trauma. Curtis’ art is professional quality, but anyone can create art, even those who “can’t draw.”
+++ Everyone IS an ARTIST.
There are lots of different ways to express art other than drawing. When I was young I had a friend that for 3 years straight I would think up something for a Halloween party she would attend. There was some guy she wanted to impress. I would think up a classy, interesting sexy outfit, usually from my own closet. I would provide accessories and do her make up. These days I would be called a stylist!
Thank God by year 4 she had moved on. Lol!
@@adc2327 My sister is an artist. She does interior design with all “throw away” items, nothing new. She goes to thrift stores, yard sales, Craig’s List, and very often, scans the streets on trash days!
@@mariekatherine5238 One of a kind, true originals. That is the way to make a house a home!
Proud of this hospital for allowing a smoking room, once you get to a certain point health and age wise, you don't give a 💩, simple pleasures should be honored and those in Hospice Care should be left be to do as they will without punitive scrutiny
most hospice now have them in HIV hospital I've been in over the years , it's means so much to the smokers who worry about having to get dressed just to go have a smoke ,most are coming near end life some in there just for some respite , the ones here also want to go out or go home ,ppl really are the same world over , when boils down to it we all just want a happy healthy as can be peaceful life
My mother transcended in hospice and went out at age 81 the way she wanted with a drink and a cigarette. XoXo 💋❤
@ LDuke-pc7kq
Hold up don’t get excited this was filmed in 2001. Smoking is NO LONGER allowed in The Rivington House, NY. Get over it black
Lungs. 😆😆👏
I’m an RN and I agree with you. If you have a terminal illness and aren’t on constant oxygen therapy, I honestly don’t see why not. I understand that caregivers can be exposed, that is bad. But if it is done in a ventilated room/properly set up, why the hell not. I have taken dying patients outside to light up a cigarette before. But the outside elements can be harsh for a dying person.
Agreed 👍 @@_letstartariot
One of the most remarkable documentary I have seen. My appreciation of art made this documentary hit my soul. What an remarkable man.
He reminds me of a renaissance Basquiet. Mind you, he is his own man, sleep king
He’s a beautiful soul. His work and home was a master piece because of his mother and him. I wish I could’ve meant him.
amazing, i hope someone really took care of that house and his work after he passed...please make Curtis LEGENDARY!
Curtis showed us that life is for living and not letting negativity steal the time we have here. What a beautiful man. What a beautiful spirit. Thank you.
Curtis, thank you for this window into your life and your beautiful soul. You experienced far more than your fair share of pain and misery here, and you still exuded creation. I hope that you are on to a better part of your cosmic journey, that you had time to rest and are now somewhere creating again
His art is so beautiful. I hope it's still there today. Curtis had AIDS, but he didn’t let AIDS have him. He kept going til the end, I really admire that❤️.
@itsnice420
Place was turned into condos, I think. Long gone.
This was absolutely beautiful. His art was breathtaking. Aids really stole an entire generation of talent from us. All of these stories. All they had to give. Snatched away due to politics. May curtis and all of the other beautiful men, women and children rest peacefully. Does anyone know what happened to the home?
Thank you for your comments. Curtis's brother inherited his home after he died.
@@firstencounterproductions thank you for responding. I'm so happy it didnt go to waste 💕
Just Aw inspiring. Where can I read/see more about this incredible black man? Do you have archives about his dancing, singing and acting here as well as in Europe? I'm in Philadelphia and lived in New York for 12yrs and never heard of him. Man, I know he was larger than life itself.
How did he get AIDS?
I read somewhere that so many people creative people died of AIDS in the USA in the 80s that it changed the country in ways the average person didn't realize. It was behind the scenes. Set builders and decorators for TV, movies and stage. Costume makers and designers for the same. Magazine layout and photographers. Furniture designers. Hairdressers, stylists. Graphics designers, interior designers. Fabric designers. A loss that was felt, but not realized.
Great documentary, RIP Curtis ❤ God bless his family please..
His artistry is beautiful!!! Thanks to him for allowing his story to be shared. He was beautiful mind
Wonderful dry sense of humour. The video has allowed us to share his humour and thoughts. 👍👍👍👍👍
Thank you!
I am happy to have watched Curtis story. I would have really enjoyed talking with him and seeing more of his work. Thank you Curtis.
Determination to finish his art ,he is an inspiration
I wanted more of him. He was definitely a beautiful soul. Blessings to you brother. My you rest in forever peace 🙏🏼
I just love Curtis in this doc , I would of loved to sit down and talk with him !
His voice is soothing and soft.
Beautiful voice
He was such a beautiful, intelligent, and charismatic soul. Hope u r resting peacefully, Curtis. 🌹
what a beautiful positive artistic soul. Curtis you will not be forgotten and may your legacy of the love and the will to live, grace us all.
Rest in peace Curtis! thanks for the art! no more pain 💕
I love how he stated that, he was humbled an now speaks from his inner self. What a very wise, deep, philosophical an artistic individual. His personal journey an perspective on this terrible disease was sad, yet a joyous celebration of his life. 🕊️🕊️🕊️Rest easy🙏🏽🕊️🕊️🕊️
Amazing documentary. R.I.P. Curtis
It's beautiful Curtis! I cannot draw people very well. I am so glad I got the chance to see what you made on this earth.
I am humbled and honored that he would share his story
HOW DOES THIS ONLY HAVE 321 LIKES COMPARED TO VIEWS????- INSANE.
So glad i found this. Ty for the doc
Thank you! Not sure what magic you worked, but it's only a month later and we're somehow at 1.3K.
@@firstencounterproductions rightfully deserved
God bless the lady who visits them. What an angel.
Thank you for sharing. To many beautiful humans have been lost to this silent evil sneaking into lives.
He was a sweet person you could see that as plain as day. Rest in Peace Angel.
Wow he was so talented with a good heart.
What an inspiring soul and a wonderful legacy he's left behind. I never met him, I'll miss him.
What a beautiful soul ❤️ thankyou for this
I did the same
The talent is MIND-BLOWING... DAMN. Are weaknesses takes alot of ppl away from here and it's just so scary how fragile we truly are 💔
Was Curtis a drug user during his HIV treatment? It’s a genuine question and not an attack. I think he was a brave and amazingly talented man. RIP
Such a beautiful documentary his art was beautiful he’s so very intelligent and inspiring ❤️❤️🙏🏽
Curtis.....such a beautiful soul, @7:47 I HOLLERED! He kept his sense of humor through it all! So inspirational! Ms. Coala you're AMAZING...need more like you!
This horrible illness just snatched people’s lives away, so many were young and full of life only recently! What had to be so frightening was all those that watched the slow demise of friends & lovers knowing they too were going to suffer the same fate.
Yes What a tragic time ⏲️. So many talented people who were full of life robbed of this world 🌎 way too soon!!! What a Heartbreaking 💔 story. Bless everyone who was taken/affected by this horrible epidemic!!! My mom passed away from this virus. RIP MOM & Curtis🙏😇💜❣
@JESUS IS LORD333.AMEN. JESUS333.AMEN. Do do know children got Aids to right? Babies were left without familys to love them all because of disgusting thoughts like these. They had made no decicions whatsoever.
@JESUS IS LORD333.AMEN. JESUS333.AMEN. CHILDREN WHO WERE BORN WITH IT SPENT THEIR LIVES HATED BY ADULT WITH SMALL MINDS LIKE YOURS
@JESUS IS LORD333.AMEN. JESUS333.AMEN. THEY WERE BORN WITH IT. THEY HAD NO FUCKING CHOISE
It’s amazing what you find beneath the wallpaper and paint layers I an old brownstone! My friends bought up a house on 143 St. neat Amsterdam. They got it from the city for like $5.00 and had a grant and a certain amount of time to fix it up. This was some program in the early-mid 1980’s. They had to fix the facade first, then they took five years to do the inside. It was absolutely gorgeous! Among the things they discovered, walnut and mahogany beneath the ugly wall coverings, temporary walls that when removed, made larger, nicer rooms, beautiful hardwood floors, some really interesting linoleums which were made into a large mosaic. It was hung in the living room. They also restored the old dumb waiter and three sets of sliding wall doors set that had been nailed into the open position. Why? Who knows?
Wow what a beautiful person. His story brought a tear to my eye. I would have loved to have been able to have a conversation with him as someone who has also studied art. May he rest in eternal peace ♥️
A beautiful man, thanks for allowing us in briefly, Curtis...
What an AMAZING ARTIST & PAINTER , God has rested your sole !!!!!
Soul.
He reminds me of a male version of the daughter from the Grey Gardens documentary. Even his accent. I wonder what happened to his home. 2004 wasn't that long ago when you think of this epidemic's timeline. I think now we are so used to people living undetectable that it's easy to forget that even after 9/11 people were struggling with and dying of AIDS in the US.
Apparently his brother inherited the home. I bet his mother left it to Curtis knowing he was sick so he would always have a home. I wonder why the drug thearpy wasn't mentioned like if he declined it like so many do or if it wrecked havoc on his body or what? Did it cause the kidney problems? He said he was dying of AIDS so I'm confused. He was beautiful and talented. RIP🙏
Curtis is eccentric, yet talented.
If this story doesn"t touch your heart,I dont know what will,there are many rivers to cross and thank you Curtis for crossing this one with dighity and courage.may you rest in peace
Wish they mentioned the drug cocktail and why it was not part of Curtis’ therapy. Some percentage of AIDS patients were not helped by the drug combination, available since 1996, but many were.
Be that as it may, Curtis was a very dmart and interesting guy
I was wondering the same thing. He was at Dialysis so maybe he was on the therapy and it damaged his kidneys? I know some people start and stop therapies which eventually make them less effective. Maybe he was ready to go🤔 Tommy Gunn from Rocky 5 and Alexis Arquette stopped taking their meds and died.
@@deadgirl5805so they gave up and let their virus progress to AIDS.
Continue to Rest and Reign with the Ancestors Brother Wheeler. You were a light.
What a beautiful statement. The greatest of all well wishes.
He truly was, is and forever will be a light. 👑
He was truly an inspiration to me! Wow… God Bless this Beautiful man.
They really need to get this place back open 🥺
I've been watching a lot of videos about this on TH-cam ever since one was recommended. This is one of the last ones I clicked on because of the weird photo they used as the cover. Should have watched it sooner, a few minutes in I can already tell Curtis was a super interesting man.
I would have loved Curtis he was so amazing!! 🙏😔❤️
Thank God they had a place to go to get help and a place to stay and people cared about them.
A beautifully touching film just like Curtis himself. 😘
He had an amazing life!!! I am sorry it came to a premature end!!!
If they could have just made it until NOW...they would have had a better chance at survival...at life. This man was worthy of living, regardless of what ever his orientation was. He left an indelible mark on the world through his artistic endeavors. I am so thankful for this documentary and the opportunity to know you therein. This really touched me. I will remember you fondly Sir!
I shared this great work on my FB page, thank you!
Curtis , Thank you ❤️😊👍💕 for sharing your story with us .
Much apreciated. Rest in Peace ☮️
Namaste 🙏❤️👍🙂
Wow. What a lovely talented intelligent funny man. What a great friend & family he must have been
Thank you. Curtis was one of a kind
I wonder why people are not remembering these valuable lives that didn't have knowledge or education to help prevent this disease, People now days are so careless with their love lives.
Beautiful. Thank you Curtis 🙏🏾
Beautiful soul beautiful home simply amazing.... Rip ICON
What an interesting, creative soul. Rest In Peace.
Curtis is a force to be reckoned with ... His story is one in the same of many souls lost seemingly to something we didn't understand at that time, but because of stories like this we have gotten to a point that we have meds that can make u undetectable and you can live a normal life ..it just makes me sad that he and so many others suffered and didn't live to see the progress they made for the next generations of people going through the same thing.. people seem to think that hiv or aids was from junkies or gay men ( no judgement at all btw) as a way to dehumanize the person and somehow make it their fault so we could blame the victim instead of treating it ... So fucking sad!!! He had no idea the affect he would have .. that's a beautiful soul and yes what you did as an artist definitely made u immortal in a sense because his art is why we still keep him immortal..
Oh my goodness him describing the symptoms just pains me he had to endure such pain. May his soul rest in peace in Heaven.
A beautiful soul, who absorbed as much beauty as he exuded in his dances and art, Rest In Peace Curtis.
MAY GOD BLESS ALL OF THEIR SOULS TO RIP FOREVER AND EVERMORE...🙏
Wow I would like to meet some folks more like this guy. Too bad it seems like they are a dying breed. RIP. Only the good die young.
Curtis refused to allow the disfigurement of this awful disease to destroy his spirit and artistry. RIP.
There was potent anti viral drugs at this point in time. He must of had some nasty resistance to meds
RIP ❤ so talented creative and funny ❤❤❤
Such a beauty amongst the pain.
Wow, this was beautiful. Thank you, thank you, thank you ❤️
What a beautiful soul
This is so beautiful 😍
What A Beautiful Person/Artist🎨🙌🏾😍
Curtis life ment something,look the amount lives he touching even in death I'm living with the same illness an I very much doubt I'd even touch 10 ppl lives in the way Curtis has thank God I'm undectable an can live a regular life how far medicine has come since then I'm on 1tablet daily and that keeps me healthy
Wow this was so Sad. Curtis to bad we will never meet in this life but maybe the next life we will cross paths. You were a funny, talented, and kind man. I'm sorry for the suffering you endured. Finally you are at eternal peace. RIP 🙏❤ 😇
Wow this was beautiful, I wanna know more about Curtis please...
I wonder if his apartment is still the same. Or at least I wonder if his art has been preserved there. Id love to go see it in person.
Exceptionally inspirational
So smart Curtis was! So sad! I love him! ❤️
Smart ???
@@deboaedwards9312 yea, what's the deal?
Education , creativity up past the roof . Love is awsome , but through the maze , one forgets to protect his or herself ; sexually . That's SMART IJS .
@@deboaedwards9312 You don’t know what his exact situation was though.
@@deboaedwards9312 Well he did mention that he frequented bathhouses and discos in '86. At that time little was known about how the disease was contracted.