In 2017, when Shaun Dunne’s Rapids – a bracing piece of documentary theatre concerning HIV status in Ireland – premiered at Dublin’s Project Arts Centre, the rate of HIV infection was twice the European average. Rapids, the result of Dunne’s collaborations with Talking Shop Ensemble and several groups from the HIV+ community, left an indelible impression on Anna Rodgers, the Ifta-winning director and producer of The Yellow Bittern and Crumlin.
“I was really, really moved by Rapids,” recalls Rodgers. “And I really had that sense of that thing that can happen, when you go to the theatre, that you’re transported into the world of your imagination. All the characters came alive for me. And a few things struck me and stayed with me. I became aware that I didn’t know as much about HIV as they thought. And I also had to come to terms with, I have to admit, my own prejudice. I remember when Eva-Jane Gaffney came on stage, and started telling a story about HIV, I remember being surprised. And I thought, well, why am I surprised that a young woman could have HIV? Anybody can get HIV. And that was probably the key moment that made me think: we need to make a film about this.”
I know that some people still carry those poor reactions because many people are ignorant and don’t know the facts around HIV
— Anna Rodgers
That film, How to Tell a Secret, is a fascinating hybrid documentary crafted by co-directors Rodgers and Dunne and producer Zlata Filipovic. Dunne also appears in the film, alongside actors Jade Jordan and Eva-Jane Gaffney, and HIV activists Robbie Lawlor and Enda McGrattan (who performs as Dublin drag favourite Veda), in a series of moving testimonies that cannily blur the lines between performance and biography. These techniques allow various Irish and migrant women to talk about their HIV status without revealing their identities on camera. We’re never sure who is candidly talking about their HIV status on camera and who is an actor performing someone else’s story.
“The thing that impacted me emotionally the most was speaking to the women whose stories we feature in the film,” says Rodgers. “One of the things we learned very quickly was that when we say things, like, ‘Why aren’t women telling their story? So where are the women’s voices?’ – it’s complicated. A lot of people can’t tell their stories. It depends on the context. When we met the women – and there were women all around the country – some of them had previously worked with Shaun on the play, and some of them were new. We interviewed them. And then we worked on transferring those stories into drama. And what surprised me, I suppose, is that they chose to tell me their story. In some cases, they hadn’t even told their closest friends. I think all of the women we spoke to were mothers, and they all spoke about their fears of disclosing their status and the impact that would have on their children. And also their fears around revealing their status to their parents.”
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The shifting social history around HIV is a key theme of How To Tell A Secret. In an era of U = U, when medication can render HIV both undetectable and untransmittable, some of the stigma around status disclosure can be traced to the hysterical health campaigns of the 1980s, an era when Aids-related commercials placed a heavy emphasis on mortality.
“I know that some people still carry those poor reactions because many people are ignorant and don’t know the facts around HIV,” says Rodgers. “That’s why it’s so important that we have people like Robbie, who are going out there, making sure that the message is clear: U equals U equals U. There is a very dark legacy attached to HIV and how it was reported at the time when it emerged. That is still almost like inherited trauma for people. Even the younger people in the film were quite aware of some of the imagery around those campaigns. My mom had a boyfriend who became a very good friend after they broke up. He died of AIDS and that was part of the reason I always had an interest and always knew about HIV. You know how important it is to get tested, and to find out in time.”
One of the most impactful sequences in the film fittingly connects campaigning artist Enda McGrattan and Thom McGinty. McGinty, the late Dublin street performer known as The Diceman, died in 1995, aged 42. He had revealed his diagnosis with Aids on The Late Late Show in 1994. Channelling McGinty’s colourful street characters, McGrattan carefully constructs a tribute act and a placard that reads: “A ride is just a ride. U = U. A HIV-positive person on effective treatment cannot pass on the virus.” Veda confirmed their HIV status in the 2019 song I Came out One Night, a decade after their original diagnosis.
One of the contributors in the film... spoke about that experience in rural Ireland, where the pharmacist knows your mother and it’s very hard to pick up medication or even get contraception
— Anna Rodgers
“Enda I knew from many years ago, myself and Aoife Kelleher made a documentary series called Growing Up Gay,” says Rodgers. And I remember thinking, wow, there’s something really incredible about this person. I always wanted to do something else with them. And I knew Enda came out about their status. And I also knew that we wanted to do something about The Diceman. And Enda loved the idea because they had actually grown up with The Diceman.”
How To Tell A Secret goes on general release on December 1st, to coincide with World Aids Day. The filmmakers are hopeful that the film will act as a corrective to the continuing stigma around HIV.
“Even though things have moved on in Ireland, there is still a stigma around sex,” notes Rodgers. “Especially when you move outside the main cities into rural areas. One of the contributors in the film, who reveals their identity toward the end of the film, spoke about that experience in rural Ireland, where the pharmacist knows your mother and it’s very hard to pick up medication or even get contraception. A lot of the concerns around sex education in schools mean that we don’t talk about STIs. There are surveys that show there are still people who think you can get HIV from saliva. There’s so much misinformation out there. Once you’re on effective medication you can’t pass HIV on. So there really shouldn’t be a stigma. But that stigma even exists within the LGBT community.”
How To Tell A Secret is at Still Voices Film Festival on November 13th
