Sex Positive

R

Released Jun 12, 2009

1h 15m

Documentary

LGBTQ+

List

82%

17 Reviews

Tomatometer

60%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

In the early 1980s, as the shadow of an epidemic is upon the gay community, Richard Berkowitz, a gay, HIV-positive hustler, has a revelation. AIDS, he realizes, is not just a disease randomly affecting gay men, but rather one that is sexually transmitted -- which means that the practice of safe sex might help prevent it. Berkowitz's idea, however, is greeted in the gay community with considerable hostility. Undaunted, he risks everything to get the word out.

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Audience Member

Just to think back then. If you were gay and having a blast, not knowing that an epidemic was coming and you contracted the HIV virus! You knew deep down inside you soul you're life was over. I still blame the government it was their way of controlling the population and if u look at ot today. Theres many different stages of HIV / AIDS.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This woefully short doc, in essence, tells the story of the invention of safe sex and the split within the gay community over how HIV is transmitted. On that ground alone, Sex Positive is required viewing. The information presented and people profiled are as integral to American history as Washington, Lincoln, Franklin and King. Why? Because before they took a stand for what they believed, no one had heard of safe sex. Now that term is nearly ubiquitous throughout the world. The entire story of AIDS, from the first cases to the governments non-action to the activists to now, deserves more than 75 minutes to connect the people involved and document this important part of history. Good start, even with the somewhat lacking camera work and terrible jump cuts within interviews.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

As a documentary it has a number of flaws, but it is a sobering, important film with a message that is gradually becoming lost.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Excelente documental sobre Richard Berkowitz, un "S&M Hustler" que se convirtio en activista gay y llego a ser uno de los primeros inventores y defensores del "Sexo Seguro" entre la comunidad gay de Manhattan. Gran material con excelentes entrevistas e invaluables lecciones acerca de la epidemia y de la forma en que las distintas comunidades reaccionan.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Excelente documental sobre Richard Berkowitz, un "S&M Hustler" que se convirtio en activista gay y llego a ser uno de los primeros inventores y defensores del "Sexo Seguro" entre la comunidad gay de Manhattan. Gran material con excelentes entrevistas e invaluables lecciones acerca de la epidemia y de la forma en que las distintas comunidades reaccionan.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

a very important movie.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

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Daryl Wein

Director

Don Adler

Actor

Richard Berkowitz

Actor

Demetre Daskalakis

Actor

Richard Dworkin

Actor

William Haseltine

Actor

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Andrew O'Hehir

Salon.com

Wein's film provides a fascinating and crucial slice of traumatic sexual history that's all but invisible to younger generations.

Dec 18, 2021

Full Review

David Wiegand

San Francisco Chronicle

Wein tackles an incredibly complex array of issues surrounding HIV, focusing largely on Berkowitz, once a nice young Jewish kid at Rutgers who found a lucrative career as an S&M hustler before becoming an activist and co-author.

Rated: 4/4

Jul 3, 2009

Full Review

Kevin Thomas

Los Angeles Times

Daryl Wein calls attention both to unjustly neglected pioneering AIDS activist Richard Berkowitz and his still widely ignored groundbreaking promotion of safe sex.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 19, 2009

Full Review

Avi Offer

NYC Movie Guru

A thoroughly fascinating, illuminating and vital documentary for everyone young and old.

Rated: 8.70/10

Jun 28, 2009

Full Review

David Noh

Film Journal International

Scruffy but arresting documentary about an ever-embattled, pioneering fighter in the gay AIDS wars.

Jun 17, 2009

Full Review

Karina Longworth

SpoutBlog

Sex Positive too often looks like something hastily thrown together, which belies the built trust evident between the filmmaker and his subject. Over the course of the film, Berkowitz moves from refusing to discuss certain specifics to spilling in great d

Jun 9, 2009

Full Review

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Synopsis

In the early 1980s, as the shadow of an epidemic is upon the gay community, Richard Berkowitz, a gay, HIV-positive hustler, has a revelation. AIDS, he realizes, is not just a disease randomly affecting gay men, but rather one that is sexually transmitted -- which means that the practice of safe sex might help prevent it. Berkowitz's idea, however, is greeted in the gay community with considerable hostility. Undaunted, he risks everything to get the word out.

Director: Daryl Wein
Distributor: Regent Releasing
Rating: R (Language|Graphic Images|Graphic Dialogue|Strong Sexual Content)
Genre: Documentary, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 12, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 4, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $11.5K
Runtime: 1h 15m

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