Viejito/Enfermito/Grito (Old Man/Sick Man/Shout) is a 10-minute short film that portrays Gera Ananias P. Soria, an Oakland artist, immigrant, and long-term HIV survivor. Against a theatrical black space, Ananias performs the folkloric Danza de los Viejitos (Dance of the Old Men) from his native Michoacán, Mexico.
Beginning as a traditional “Viejito,” he reinterprets the dance as “El Enfermito” to tell his story of becoming HIV positive in the 1990s. His performance explores how both the illnesses and medicine side effects made him an old man before his time. Through his journey, he becomes “El Grito,” ready to continue his path as a community healer.
