The Burden review deeply personal portrait of living with Aids in secret

"The subject is none other than his cousin Rodrigue, who is consumed with a weighty secret: both he and his wife Reine are living with Aids. Within their deeply religious community, the condition is sorely misunderstood; in his fervid sermons, the local pastor associates Aids and HIV with witchcraft, curses, and even God's punishment. Such superstitious and moralistic sentiments take deep root in the minds of the believers, worsening the social stigma surrounding an ongoing health crisis."

"The sensorial soundmix powerfully conjures the cacophony of voices that envelop their daily existence. Religious preaching, received with thunderous applause merges with the twittering of rumours and gossip, along with various community quarrels. In this town, words are never just words. Rendered tactile through editing, they become the ties that bind Rodrigue and Reine to their secret. Amid this atmosphere of conservatism, the couple only find relief when they are on their own."

"While the film touches on the economic and medical obstacles that hamper Aids treatment in the CAR, in focusing on this personal relationship the film emphasises that the existing hurdles are more than material. For those like Rodrigue and Reine to be freed from their burden, meaningful changes need to start from a place of empathy. The Burden is on True Story from 10 October."

Set in Bangui, a married couple Rodrigue and Reine secretly live with HIV/AIDS within a deeply religious community that equates the illness with witchcraft, curses, and divine punishment. Religious preaching amplifies rumours, gossip, and social stigma, making open disclosure impossible. Daily life is filled with overlapping voices and communal judgment, isolating the couple. At home they care for each other with tenderness as Rodrigue's health declines. Medical and economic barriers impede treatment, but the central obstacle remains moral stigma; liberation from burden depends on empathy and deeper social change.

Read at www.theguardian.com