The Cure
Tags: tragedy

Plot synopsis:
Set in a small town of Stillwater, Minnesota, Erik (Brad Renfro) is a 13-year-old adolescent loner with an emotionally abusive and neglectful workaholic mother, Gail (Diana Scarwid) who hardly spends time with him. His father, who treated Erik considerably better than his mother, lives in New Orleans. Dexter (Joseph Mazzello), an 11-year-old boy who contracted HIV through a blood transfusion, is Erik's neighbor. Initially, Dexter is put off by Erik, but they become both good friends despite their differences. Erik seeks a family in Dexter and his congenial mother, Linda (Annabella Sciorra), due to his bad relationship with Gail, but Erik keeps the friendship a secret from her, knowing that Gail won't approve.
Gail discovers the friendship one night after Linda comes over to ask Erik about something Dexter ate in the boys' quest to find a natural cure for his disease. She is furious and warns Linda to keep Dexter away, but Linda, who resents her, ignores her and encourages the friendship. When the boys read an article in a tabloid about a doctor in distant New Orleans who claims to have found a cure for AIDS, they set out on their own down the Mississippi River in the hope of finding a means of saving Dexter's life.
Initially, the boys start taking a boat down the river with a bunch of degenerates, but eventually steal their money (as they were never treated well by the group) and try to hitchhike the rest of the way. When the boatmen find that their money has been stolen, they locate the kids at a bus station and proceed to chase them until they reach a dead end in a dilapidated building. Erik draws a switchblade, causing one of the men to draw a knife as well. Dexter suddenly grabs the knife from Erik, and cuts his hand to cause himself to bleed. He threatens the boatman with his blood, saying that he has AIDS and could easily transfer the disease to him (the boatman has open wounds on his arm as a result of an injury received when chasing the boys). Dexter then chases the boatmen off, threatening them with his bleeding hand. Once the two men are gone, Dexter realizes what he has done in directly exposing his blood to the outside environment. He suddenly feels sick, so Erik helps to escort him back to the bus station. Realizing that their journey must end if Dexter is to be treated, Erik resorts to calling Linda to have her pick the boys up when they arrive on the bus in Stillwater.
Once they return, Dexter spends the rest of his time in the hospital. Erik stays with Linda, knowing that not only will Gail be angry, but she will not let him visit Dexter in the hospital. Dexter and Erik prank the doctors three times that Dexter's dead. But when the third doctor arrives to check him, Dexter really has died. While driving Erik home, Linda notices a mother holding her young child while crossing the street. With the child serving as a reminder of Dexter, she pulls over and breaks down crying. Erik apologizes to her, saying that he should have tried harder to find a cure. Linda, taken aback by his comment, embraces Erik, explaining that he was the happiest thing in Dexter's difficult life. Upon arrival at home, they are confronted by a furious Gail. When Gail starts to hit Erik, Linda quickly intervenes and asks to talk to her privately.
Once the two are inside Linda's home, Linda angrily and tearfully informs Gail about Dexter's death and demands that she allow Erik to go to the funeral and be a better parent to him or she will report her abuse and neglect to Child Protective Services. Realizing all that she has done to Erik, Gail breaks down and guiltily complies.
At the funeral, Erik places one of his shoes in the coffin and takes one of Dexter's to let sail down the river (as earlier in the trip when Dexter's having nightmares, Erik told Dexter to hold one of his sneakers as a reminder that he's always by his side). This way, the shoes represent the boys' souls and their will to live.

Review: The story is focused on the friendship between two young boys Erik and Dexter, eleven and twelve years old, who are very different from each other but they are becoming the best (and only) friends.
The movie also is full of incredibly powerful and emotional symbolism, (particularly strong with Erik's shoe) which also greatly increases visual impression from such beautiful work.
Both Brad Renfro as Erik and Joseph Mazello as Dexter created wonderful atmosphere of sincere friendship and magnificent chemistry between two main characters.
I don't want to write more about the movie because it's simply impossible to put its beauty and sincerity into words, so if you have any opportunity for watching The Cure, rent it or buy it and you wouldn't be disappointed.
Very quickly he develops a real friendship with Dexter, who is delicately built and frail due to his condition.The central theme of the movie  the theme which makes it pervasively authentic and tragic at the same time  is how Eric and Dexter try to find the ultimate cure.
Thus Dexter overcomes his isolation and sadness, and Eric learns what really counts in life; and both of them realize how much of a gift real friendship is when it comes to the hardest moments of life.This movie is tragic  but its message is sheer inspiration..
It is also a film of remarkable bonds of friendship and the innocence of childhood.The film sees Erik, a dysfunctional adolescent boy with a distant mother, moving into a new area where their next-door neighbour is eleven-year-old Dexter, who contracted AIDS through a blood transfusion.
After his initial fears and ignorance over AIDS are allayed, Erik befriends Dexter and their almost fraternal friendship sees them embark on a journey down the Mississippi to where they have heard about a New Orleans doctor who claims to have found a cure for the disease.The talent from the two young leads of Brad Renfro and Joseph Mazzello, who play Erik and Dexter respectively, is exceptional.
Brad was able to portray Erik's harder edge without comprising the subtle childish innocence inherent to the character while Joseph depicts the sense of vulnerability to Dexter's character but injects the right amount of boyish enthusiasm and zeal to highlight that his illness doesn't mean he still isn't a child who wants to run and play like any other eleven-year-old boy.
Annabella Sciorra also delivers a touching performance as Dexter's mother Linda, who adores her son and delights in seeing him thrive with this new friendship to Erik and eventually becomes a surrogate mother-figure to the other boy.Set against an excellent soundtrack, 'The Cure' is a very bittersweet film that manages to flawlessly weave the story of boyhood friendship that survives unflinchingly in the midst of prejudice and terminal illness without resorting to sappiness or unnecessary saccharine sweet scenes.
What is also very touching is how, despite Erik's streetwise nature, he is the more naive one in his determination to cure Dexter while the younger boy has this haunting sense that he knows his fate but is swept away by his best friend's enthusiasm for a cure.I highly recommend 'The Cure' for it is rare to find a film that is simultaneously sad and uplifting..
It tells the story of the unlikely friendship between a hard-edged, misfit kid - who takes his cues from his horrible, abusive mother - and his neighbor, a slightly younger boy who has AIDS.Right, you say.
It is one of the very few movies among those many I have seen that pulls off a very rare trick: it conveys a truly sad story (and yes, a morality tale) but without a single moment where it feels cheesy, forced or in any other way "hollywoody".
And through that interaction the good-natured, loving character of the older boy, Eric, starts to shine through his "tough-guy" persona, as he takes on a kind of big-brotherly care for Dexter, his HIV-positive younger neighbor.
Especially Mazzello, who is simply stunning - he does convey a sense of frailty needed for an ailing boy, but at the same time he manages to make Dexter a truly energetic and determined character.
Annabella Sciorra also gives a memorable performance as Dexter's mother, who ultimately becomes, in a sense, a mother figure to Erik as well.I've first seen this film when I was at school back in America, and loved it - not at all a given concerning movies of this sort.
Ironically enough, the teacher who had shown us this movie (a wonderful woman, I'm still in touch with her) got in trouble for it, as some uptight parent complained about it having the scene when the two boys are looking at a Playboy...
Unbelievably close to real life feelings and emotions captured by Joseph Mazzello as a hemophiliac child affected by AIDS and his new young neighbor, a wanna-be tough redneck played to perfection by Brad Renfro.
Although the story may seem slightly farfetched (the two boys attempt to river-raft several hundred miles to find a doctor who claims to have the cure to AIDS), the emotion, actions and interactions of all characters involved are tragically close to real life.
Being a "big brother" to a boy in a similar situation who died a few years after this film was released, I strongly recommend this picture to anyone who has ever wondered what really happens in the life of a child with AIDS.
The younger of the two boys, Dexter (Joseph Mazzello) is dying of AIDS; the older boy, Eric (Brad Renfro), is something of a sociopath.
The friendship solidifies as the story segues into a quest for an AIDS cure which takes them on a Tom Sawyer trek down the Mississippi River with lots of adventures.
Joseph Mazzello (Radio Flyer, Shadowlands) and Brad Renfro (The Client)  delivered career best (and still best) performances and Annabella Sciorra (Hand that Rocks the Cradle) was good playing Dexter's (Mazzello) mom..
Although AIDS is supposed to be the main theme, the strong sup-text of friendship and love, as they evolve between Eric and Dexter, is a powerful message for teenagers.
A tale of a young boy, Dexter (Joseph Mazzello) with AIDS who befriends a rough and tumble boy (played by Brad Renfro) his exact opposite, The Cure is a sad, if a bit too soapy, pull at your emotions "message" movie with it's heart in the right place.
However since the real story centers on the boy's AIDS - things take off when one day at the local supermarket, Dexter's eye catches a checkout tabloid magazine that states a New Orleans doctor has discovered the cure.
In his first lead role, 11 year old Joseph Mazzello is mesmerizing, his performance as a dying AIDS victim is the best I have ever seen from anyone.
Annabella Sciorra plays Mazzello's mom with such ability that makes me wonder why she isn't getting the roles Julia Roberts or Meg Ryan are getting.+ (GOOD THINGS) 1.) Joseph Mazzello's performance      2.)'Trillion light years away' scene    3.) 'Bus Arriving' Scene    4.) Filming Locations 5.) Chemistry between Mazzello and Renfro      6.) Annabella Sciorra's performance      7.) The Bad Guys      8.) The script(BAD THINGS)          1.) Diana Scarwid's performance      2.) Where the hell did that raft come from?Total:     9.5/10.
Probably the most moving scene I have seen in a movie.The child actors were great, the story moves along at just the right pace.
Erik (Brad Renfro) portrays the most rare of youngsters, in his friendship and care with his best friend, Dexter.
This movie is not just about a cure, but a passionate and devoted friendship between an innocent sick boy named Dexter and his neighbour Eric.
Of course, we also learn about a real truthful friendship and what it really takes to be a good person in someone's life and how people become when they realize that life can be short and we want to be remembered for all our characteristics.I have to say, this movie was exceptionally done.
If you like a good moral, clean, sad drama film with a lot of symbolism, this movie is highly recommended for you.
Because of the disease, he's isolated and has no friends, but he does have a loving and attentive mother (Annabella Sciorra.) After moving into a new neighbourhood, Dexter suddenly has a next door neighbour named Erik (Brad Renfro.) At first, Brad wants nothing to do with Dexter, but gradually they develop a close friendship, much to the displeasure of Erik's less than attentive mother (Diana Scarwid.)The movie revolves around the attempt by the two boys to travel form their home in Minnesota to New Orleans, where they've heard that a doctor has developed a cure for AIDS.
We follow their adventure and their growing friendship along the way, until Dexter becomes too ill to continue, which leads to the sad conclusion of the movie.This is a moving story, which isn't built around action or excitement but rather revolves at a leisurely and low-key pace around the friendship between Erik and Dexter.
It's a solid testimony to the importance of both friendship and hope, and the impact that both have, summed up by Dexter's mother near the end of the movie.
I'm currently one year away from graduating from pharmacy school and the whole scene involving the doctor and the nurse was definitely a learning point for me!Anyhow, I just wanted to post up letting the world know this is an amazing movie and not to be missed.
this movie is so amazing when i was 8 i lost my best friend to brain cancer on Christmas eve and we use to sit around and try and think of ways to make him better i have never cryied like i did when i saw this movie a truly great heartfelt movie.
this movie talks about things i have gone thought and to see this on a screen it hits home its more touching then i could of ever thought i hope one day that i could make take my life with my friend and make it into a story and maybe even a movie its hard to think of my life up on the big screen but i have never met someone who had such high hopes as my friend he is always with me and will be on my heart and in my mind for the rest of my life until i leave this earth to spend some more time with him ricky i love you.
The Cure, directed in 1995 by Robert Kuhn, is about a boy named Dexter Peterson (Joseph Mazzello) who is battling the AIDS Virus at the age of twelve.
`That is the kid with AIDS, don't get near him or you might catch it.' One day, when Dexter was playing outside in the garden, he met his neighbor Erik (Brad Refro).
Even thought Erik's mother (Diana Scorra) did not agree with her son playing with a boy who had AIDS, they became best friends.
When watching the movie Medicine Man, Erik and Dexter decided that maybe they could find the cure for AIDS.
A few days later, the boys found an article that read `Dr. Fish Bern has found the cure for AIDS in New Orleans.' Once Erik's mother had found out that her son had been spending time with Dexter, she had banned Erik from seeing him.
Hoping to find the cure for AIDS, they had planned to travel the Mississippi river to New Orleans by raft.I found this film to be and excellent production.
The way Erik took Dexter into his life without even thinking of his illness is a true way of showing friendship.
The story revolves around the unlikely friendship between Erik (Renfro) and Dexter ('Jurassic Park's Jospeh Mazzello) who is HIV positive.
And all I can say about it is, that it's true, what Dexter's mom tells Eric at the end of the story: he actually did 'cure' her son, by taking away his sad feelings and his loneliness.This movie emphasis a philosophy I can very well agree with.
I would particularly like to mention the Oscar-deserving performances from young Joseph Mazzello as Dexter, the one with AIDS and from Brad Renfro as his best friend Erik.
Pure poetry in cinema form.Uppers:1-The story; 2-Mazzello and Renfro's performances; 3-The music; 4-Annabella Sciorra's performance; 5-The tent scene; 6-The "My blood is poison" scene; 7-The backgrounds; 8-The last scenes; 9-It's just the right length:never gets boring; 10-The backgronds; 11-The realistic portrayal of friendship.Downers:1-um..er..the soundtrack doesn't contain "My great escape"!This film found the hole in my cynical armour and it opened my eyes to the reality of AIDS.
Joseph Mazello and Brad Renfro were supurb in their potrayals of a young boy outcast with AIDS and his best friend.
The performances of the two young actors are wonderful, I think Brad Renfro and Joseph Mazzello are two real promises of the next century cinematography.
Unlike many television films of the week, where disease and death are central to the story, "The Cure" is not so much about AIDS as it is friendship.
'The Cure' is a touching film about a true friendship.
Erik's neighbor Dexter is 11 (like Joseph Mazzello at the time).
The nice tyke doesn't make it.The two boys take the movie all by themselves and shine like stars: Brad Renfro as Erik and Joseph Mazzello as Dexter.Brad Renfro was talented and always looked mature for his age.
When the movie "The Cure" starts, we find out about a young man named Erik (Brad Renfro).
Joseph Mazzello and Brad Renfro prove their star quality in this movie, along with Dexter's (Mazzello) mother Annabella Sciorra.When i first watched The Cure on TV, i didn't know what to expect, but as i watched this masterpiece it soon became clear what it was about.
Dexter an 11 year old boy who is plagued with AIDS, sits around his backyard playing with his toys when one day he meets his next door neighbour Eric, which at first is a little awkward for the 2 boys, but they soon became good friends.During the film, i kept wondering what would happen to the two boys, as they kept me wondering.
*** Contains spoilers ***A lovely film this, starring Brad Renfro and the ever wonderful Joseph Mazzello.
I like Joseph Mazzello, out of all his films I've seen to date I've loved every single one of them for many different reasons and The Cure is no different.
The Cure is a drama/coming of age movie from the viewpoint of an ill child and his friend.The basic idea is:  Dexter (Joseph Mazzello) has AIDS.
She thinks AIDS is contagious like the Common Cold so doesn't want her son going anywhere near Dexter.After many attempts at making their own cure with no success, the boys go on their way to New Orleans to find the cure after reading a pamphlet about it.
I first saw "The Cure" when I was really young; I remember my mother used to watch this film with me, mainly because I was a kid with a few friends.
Erik is a boy that decides becoming friends with Dexter, a younger kid infected with AIDS and full of life restrictions.
This is the first Western drama I watched when I was a kid that showed me how fun it is to have a childhood adventure with your best friend but at the same time it touched my childish heart with its poignant plot.I think it's a great movie because I really enjoyed it and I could easily relate to the two lead characters: a hard-edged, misfit Erik and Dexter, an eleven years old boy who got AIDS from blood transfusion.
The way these kids deal with the horrible disease and then embark on an adventure to find the cure – is natural and uplifting.After growing up and watch it again, I've noticed some things that intensify my love for this movie, which I didn't fully understand then.
And Dexter beautifully portrays a terminally-ill kid who is just too young to understand his situation and decides to just live with it.The acting of Brad Renfro and Joseph Mazzello, who play Erik and Dexter respectively, is impeccable.
Eric's mission is to help Dexter find a cure for AIDS, and this becomes their summer quest as they run away to New Orleans.Words can't really express just how good this film is, so all I can really say is that I loved it.
This neighbour, Erik, is looking for a friend for the summer and he assumes the situation in which Dexter is naturally but with a tremendous optimism trying by all means to find a cure in some plants, concocting all kinds of potions for his friend.But the best side of the story is how these two boys develop a loving relationship that makes them adventurous, courageous, even reckless, just to get a cure for the disease or to get to New Orleans where there supposedly is some doctor who would have a cure.
This is the story of Dexter, a kid with a heart of gold who has AIDS (which he got from a blood transfusion).
The two boys's quest to find a cure for Dexter's disease is a failure, but at least Erik managed to bring much joy for Dexter's difficult life and was the best thing that ever happened to him.
But in real life the actor who portrayed Erik died.Brad Renfro and Joseph Mazzello illuminate the screen with their amazing performances.