AIDS CRISIS BRINGS OUT ANGELS IN AFRICA.

Byline: BOB STRAUSS

>FILM CRITIC

"Angels in the Dust" is a troubling documentary for obvious reasons.

It unflinchingly describes how the AIDS crisis in the nation of South Africa, where the government is for the most part spectacularly in denial and mishandling the epidemic, affects the most vulnerable of citizens, the rural children.

But it's also a bit disturbing for reasons director Louise Hogarth may not have noticed.

The film focuses on a white woman, Marion Cloete, who gave up a comfortable life in suburban Johannesburg to move her husband and two adult daughters to the countryside. There they established a rustic village that serves as a school and orphanage for hundreds of young HIV survivors -- kids with the virus and those who've lost their parents to it.

Hardly an Angelina Jolie-style figurehead -- Cloete is a big gal with close-cropped gray hair and a tireless drive to get personal with everyone she wants to help -- the trained therapist and onetime anti-Apartheid activist has surely saved many a life and improved many more. Her dedication is unquestionable, her love for the children warm and vast, and the courage and sacrifice she's put into combating ignorance and injustice could not be more admirable.

And boy, is she fighting an uphill battle. One of the more appalling myths among the undereducated -- and you know this had to have been started by a man -- is that having sex with a virgin will cure HIV.

This has led to a ghastly uptick in child rape, and even cases of destitute (and often HIV-infected) mothers selling their very young girls' bodies. All of which, of course, only serves to spread the disease.

Other cultural roadblocks, such as faith in traditional healers and parental reluctance to discuss sexuality with their children, also aggravate the situation. Cloete is forthright and uncompromising in trying to convince people to accept modern, scientific methods to deal with the pandemic and other pressing problems, and she is no doubt correct.

But she's also bossy and condescending in a way that, well, looks an awful lot like a white person who is certain she knows better telling black people what to do. Some of her therapy ideas to help children cope with the ever-present specter of death are rather questionable, too. In one session, she encourages them to visualize the protective angels of the film's title. It's sweet and certainly good for providing some kind of solace. But I dunno -- is indoctrinating children who already have been victimized by superstition with new, unfounded beliefs a practical solution to a real crisis?

The film would have been stronger if Hogarth had cast a more critical eye on some of Cloete's behavior and methods. As it is, "Angels in the Dust" spends a lot of time on the adorable, heartbreaking children and day-to-day life.

All told, Cloete seems to be doing a great and necessary job, and judging her for the kind of person that she is is very much beside the point. Still, we should hope that saving these kids from the inhumane conditions they have suffered doesn't involve dehumanizing them in other ways.

Bob Strauss [phone]

[e-mail].

ANGELS IN THE DUST - Three stars

>Not rated: children in jeopardy

>Director: Louise Hogarth.

>Running time: 1 hr. 34 min.

>Playing: Music Hall, Beverly Hills.

>In a nutshell: Documentary on AIDS orphans is eye-opening.

CAPTION(S):

Photo:

"Angels in Africa" focuses on the work of Marion Cloete, whogave up a comfortable suburban life to establish a school and orphanage for hundreds of young HIV survivors, kids with the virus and those who've lost parents to it.