Michael_Elliott Tapestries of Hope (2009) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Sickening, depressing and outright shocking documentary by Michealene Cristini Risley about the work of Betty Makoni and her Girl Child Network, which started off in Zimbabwe where it was believed that raping female virgins would cure HIV and AIDS. The idea of men going around raping children thinking that it was going to cure their disease is about as disturbing as you can get and while it's clear that this isn't a documentary you really want to recommend due to its graphic nature you at the same time want to bring attention to the subject. I can't remember the last time I watched a documentary and was so dumb-founded that there are still parts of this world where stuff like this happens. The documentary STEPHEN FRY: HIV & ME told the story of people who go to sex parties to try and get the virus but the stories told here are so much more shocking. We get to hear from many of the victims of this and we even get to hear from one of the men who raped the woman. You soon realize that this is a much bigger problem than just some pervert out to abuse children. These men come from good families, have good jobs and they really have no reason to do what they're doing. You learn that it's pretty much a society thing where women are looked down on, can't say no to sex and there are even stories of them being traded for animals. Not only do you hear stories of day-old babies being raped to death but you realize that many people don't look down on this. You even hear stories were young girls are cut open with razor blades so that men can suck their blood. You hear stories of girls having their vaginal areas removed and sold. The subject matter is so revolting that you can't help but wish you were watching some sort of exploitation picture just meant to shock. I can't say I know the answer to the problem and it really does seem like you couldn't change anything because you'd really have to kill generations worth of ideas and bad thoughts. The documentary certainly gives you a clear idea of the issues going on and while it's hard to watch there's no question that it's message needs to get out.