3 Needles

Writer-director Thom Fitgerald’s hugely ambitious examination of the AIDS epidemic revolves around three stories that take place on three different continents. The first section follows nun Chloë Sevigny’s efforts to covert those dying of the disease to Catholicism in South Africa, while the story of Lucy Lui’s corrupt blood service in China and Shawn Ashmore’s infected porn star in Montreal underline the fact that the problem is very much a global one. A powerful piece, ‘3 Needles’ ultimately fails to cohere as narrative, but there can be few more compassionate films playing at the festival this year.