ACQUIRED

Produced by high school students for high school students, this compelling film follows the path of HIV transmission when teens know of but ignore warnings about risky behavior associated with sex and drugs. The spread of the disease begins at a house party where two boys share needle drugs—viewers then follow a connected series of encounters between teens having unprotected sex (thinking that virginity or birth control is protection from STDs), "hooking up" for casual sex, and other unsafe actions. Later, a young boy is stunned when his teary girlfriend tells him to "go to a doctor." The ending message is both dire and inescapable: "In the time it took to watch this film, more than 120 teenagers were infected with HIV or AIDS." Note: some strong language. Grades 9–12. Color. 15 minutes. Zenger Media. ©2006.