Chloë Sevigny, Cory Bowles, Lucy Liu

"Three Needles" is a drama that visits rural China, a plantation in South Africa, and Montreal's porn industry, to tell three separate yet universal stories, rooted to struggles with the HIV pandemic....( read more  read more... ) In China, Ping is a pregnant young woman running a black market blood collection scam that creates a mini epidemic in a rural village. In Montreal, Denys is a porn actor hiding his positive HIV status in order to continue working and supporting his mother--who herself goes to extreme lengths to provide for the family's future. And, in Africa, Sister Clara is a young novice nun, driven to convert the rapidly dying Africans to Catholicism before it's too late; she makes a desperate bargain with a corrupt plantation owner to help prevent the spread of HIV in the region, bringing two nuns, who are of her same order, to accompany her on the journey.

Flixster Users

68% liked it

375 ratings

Critics

35% liked it

37 critics

R, 2 hrs. 7 min.

Directed by: Thom Fitzgerald

Release Date: December 1, 2006

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: April 3, 2007

Stats: 165 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Your Rating



clear rating
Share on: Facebook Twitter

Flixster Reviews (165)


  • May 1, 2008
    One movie, three stories, one epidemic; AIDS.
    The film begins in Africa where young boys are undergoing ritual which includes a circumcision, learning to fight, and to be come a man. From Africa we go to rural China where Jin Ping (Lucy Liu) runs an undergroung blood bank, payin...( read more)g the people $5.00 american per liter of blood they donate, and since most of the people are poor they are more then willin to donate. While taken the blood, Jin who is HIV positve along with her husband contaminates the people. Moving to Canada we meet Denys (Shawn Ashmore), a porn star who is HIV positive but steals blood from his ill father for his frequent 'tests' required by the porn director to hide his positive status in order to continue making porn movies to support his family. But after his father dies the director of the movies finds out he is postive and fires him. His mother (Stockard Channing) fearing for her and her sons life, learns that AIDS patients' are ability to cash in thier life insurance early, so she infects herself so that she can take advantage of the early insurance cash to provide a life of comfort in the small time they both now have for herself and her son. Then we return to South Africa where three nuns - Sister Clara (Chloë Sevigny), Sister Hilde Francis (Olympia Dukakis) and Sister Mary John (Sandra Oh) - set up a clinic to treat the villagers, finding only that acts of tremendous self-sacrifice can stave off the spread of the gore of AIDS. The boys from the beginning of the film who are now men are returning to life that it is filled whith pain.This film shows excellent cinematography throughout. It shows a lot of beautiful scenery, such as breathtaking waterfalls, beautiful sunsets, new moons. It examines moral dilemmas and the evil side of humanity. Worth watching.
  • April 23, 2009
    this is about fighting the true although the people have to opposite with their ideology. Good idea and stroy. Make us realise how to defence our ideology is really hard
  • March 17, 2009
    I watched this movie just now. And I liked a lot despite being very heavy and sad. But it is through the three stories in three different countries that we can better understand how a disease can spread so quickly. On one side there is the irresponsibility of those who propagate ...( read more)the disease and the other side there are people who give their lives to change the sad reality. This is a movie to review and to have good surprises because the photography is so beautiful.
  • November 16, 2008
    Una película de un blanco limpio tres historias todas marcadas por la sangre , todas dolorosas y en común también las buenas actuaciones
  • June 26, 2008
    Buenas y reales historias, me gustaron mucho las historias, creo que las plantea bien y bonito" jejeje. Trata muy bien lo que se vive en diferentes paises :)
  • April 14, 2008
    Alegato contra el maldito virus del sida a través de tres historias desarrolladas en diferentes partes del mundo cuyo nexo de unión es la transmisión del virus por vía intravenosa.
    Ambientad a con una banda sonora de excepción, intercala grandiosos planos aéreos estilo Memorias ...( read more)de África con planos cercanos, mostrándonos la vastedad del mundo por donde circula el incansable asesino silencioso a la vez que personaliza y humaniza la enfermedad.
    Es de destacar ese sutil toque de humor que se desliza a lo largo de la cinta, humor que hace más doliente incluso la visión del dolor. Son historias duras, muy duras, narradas en forma de cuento, salpicadas de hermosos paisajes y dotadas de un tempo largo que le va muy bien al estilo narrativo.
    Se aleja de los tópicos que giran alrededor del virus y desarrolla historias originales y diferentes para golpear al espectador sensible y acariciar al insensible, tratando de acercarnos a una enfermedad que se transmite exponencialmente y que pone en peligro la supervivencia de buena parte de la humanidad a lo largo y ancho del planeta.

    Lo mejor: Ese toque de humor. La originalidad de las historias

    Lo peor: El tufillo catolizante de la última historia
  • March 21, 2008
    It had a promising start.

Critic Reviews


Comments


This board looks lonely. Be the first to talk about "3 Needles" !

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Official Trailer

More Like This


This list looks lonely.
Add a suggestion!

Theater Showtimes & TV Listings


3 Needles Trivia


  • In Back to the Future 3, what song was playing in the background when Needles challenged Marty to a race?  Answer »

Movie Quizzes


No quizzes for 3 Needles. Want to create one?

Video Clips


No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Recent News


No recent headlines. Got one?

Most Popular Skin


No skins yet. Interested in creating one?