Did Jenny give Forrest AIDS? - Forrest Gump (1994) Discussion

[–] Ranb (7179) 3 years ago

Forrest and his son did not seem to be suffering from AIDS in the sequel, Gump and Co. So I'm going to say that Jenny did not pass along the infection to Forrest or her son.

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[–] April-151-CT (10210) 2 years ago

I wish they would make that movie.

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[–] GreenGoblinsOck8 (7401) a year ago

Uh, Jenny didn't die in the original book. And Gump and Co is a sequel to the original book. Sure she died in that sequel but not in the original book. Not to mention Winston Groom only wrote Gump and Co cause he hated that the film makers didn't pay him money for adapting his book. He also hated that nobody who won an Oscar for Forrest Gump mentioned him or his book in their acceptance speech. So yeah. He wrote a terrible sequel as revenge on everyone in Hollywood that snubbed him.

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[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

i would say no

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[–] acelesson (689) 2 years ago

No because its super hard to contract aids through vaginal intercourse.

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[–] [deleted] 10 months ago

Forrest loves anal tho
its like a box of chocolates

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[–] strntz (10816) 2 years ago

Jenny didn't die of AIDS, she died of Hep C.

So no.

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[–] RoboReCop (2703) 2 years ago

"Walker told me I have AIDS."

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[–] MeanKitty2022 (142) 2 years ago

When did they say she died of hep C in the movie? Given her lifestyle, AIDS is very likely. Even if she didn't die from it, she was probably a disease pit.

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[–] strntz (10816) 2 years ago

Not in the movie, but the author confirmed it was Hep C he had in mind. TBH, I thought it was AIDS when I watched the movie but the author says otherwise.

Her lifestyle would indicate either was a strong possibility, but the author gets the last word.

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[–] Boromir (9712) 2 years ago

Most people don't die from AIDS. AIDS damages the immune system and then any minor illness can cause a person to die.

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[–] Philhelm (472) a year ago

AIDS would still be the proximate cause of death if death from a minor illness would not have occurred but for the compromised immune system.

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[–] yodavid (67) 2 years ago

something i noticed recently watching some scenes is that, by the end of the movie, when forrest takes breakfest to jenny in her bed, the bed is neatly made up on the side forrest supposedly had slept. i can't shake off the idea that this implies they had not been sleeping together. i can't believe this is a detail they didn't care for nor can i believe that forrest got up and made that part of the bed

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[–] Obifuntoknowme (1094) 2 years ago

Who’s to say they slept together more than once? It may of been a one off for all we know. The night after they slept together Jenny left early, it was never implied that they slept together more than once.

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[–] yodavid (67) 2 years ago

i don't know, i can't think of a married couple that i know that don't sleep in the same bed.

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[–] strntz (10816) 2 years ago

I know a few, but then, they're not young and newly married..

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[–] Rusty (548) 10 months ago

If she’s riddled with AIDS then they’re probably not sharing a bed.

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[–] strntz (10816) 10 months ago

In the book, the author had Jenny die from Hep C, not AIDS.

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[–] Rusty (548) 10 months ago

For the movie, the screenwriter has the last word, and he’s says Jenny dies of AIDS:

https://www.yournextshoes.com/jenny-aids-forrest-gump/

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[–] strntz (10816) 10 months ago

Right, but the book specifically said Hep C and the movie screenplay didn't specify AIDs regardless of what the screenwriter had in mind.

If the sequel happened, then one of the plots was to have little Forrest have AIDs which would retroactively apply to Jenny in the film. Personally, I don't think I would have ever watched the film if little Forrest had AIDs even though I know the original book was much darker than the film.

Either way it's not an issue - both at the time were terminal. They could have gone with cancer as well but Forrest's mom had cancer and I think the original author wanted Jenny's death to be the final tragedy resulting from her sad abusive upbringing.

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[–] Boromir (9712) 10 months ago

Jenny's death was clearly result of her high-risk behavior life style. This is implied throughout the film. It's either Aids or drug related as Hep C. Jenny also experiences significant weight loss, extreme fatigue, and weakened immune system, all of which are common symptoms of the disease.

There is some circumstantial evidence to believe she suffer from Aids. First, The movie leads us through American history, I doubt they skip early years of the AIDS epidemic - I believe they do it through Jenny story. Second, Jenny's journey could be interpreted as a reflection of the consequences of her past choices. Part of her self-destructive lifestyle. The same way that Forrest's past choices lead him to better future. Last, it's small thing, but I doubt they pick two characters who died from cancer.

What I mean to say is that the disease identity is important. One, because it's part of the Jenny's life story. Second, AIDS epidemic is important event in American history.

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[–] strntz (10816) 10 months ago

Jenny's death was clearly result of her high-risk behavior life style. This is implied throughout the film.

Agree. Reread the last sentence of my previous post.

What I mean to say is that the disease identity is important.

Agree again. Jenny's death was the final middle finger her tragic and sad abuse filled life flipped her.

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[–] Boromir (9712) 10 months ago

I am actually post to strengthen your words and maybe added few things. But I do missed for some reason your last sentence.

It's really poor end for sweet Jenny.

In another aspect, we can identify a sharp criticism on Flower Children culture and this generation in general. The director is also not so gentle with the Black Panthers. But that's another topic.

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[–] strntz (10816) 10 months ago

I was young black guy in the 60s, way too young to be involved in racial issues back then which were significant. But while the Black Panthers certainly had legitimate grievances, I can't say I agree with the many of the methods they employed. I do however understand the anger.

Agree again on Jenny. A lot of people dismiss her as a cheap promiscuous tramp, but seem to miss that her behavior is very consistent with the type of sexual molestation she endured at the hands of someone she should have been able to trust the most.

Despite her many issues, she was still a woman with a big heart who loved her son. Some folks trash her, others (like us) understand her trauma driven lifestyle.

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[–] Boromir (9712) 10 months ago

I was young black guy in the 60s, way too young to be involved in racial issues back then which were significant. But while the Black Panthers certainly had legitimate grievances, I can't say I agree with the many of the methods they employed. I do however understand the anger

Their anger are without a doubt understandable under the circumstances. If I go back to the movie, in second thought, I am not sure that criticism - the word I used - is the right way to explain the director view to Black Panthers. They portrayed as militant, with violent tendency, Maoist and Marxist identity (if you pay attention to the posters at the wall) and anti-American. It's actually close to the true. It's not secret that Black Panthers are the more radical group in the civil rights movement (the great Martin Luther King is on the other end).

Agree again on Jenny. A lot of people dismiss her as a cheap promiscuous tramp, but seem to miss that her behavior is very consistent with the type of sexual molestation she endured at the hands of someone she should have been able to trust the most.

You 100% right. Victims of sexual violence tend to find partners similar to their father. The drugs and sex are her way to "run away" from the trauma and painful memories. The hippie culture give her all that, and also freedom and some kind of alternative family. It is no coincidence that many girls from abandoned houses were attracted to this lifestyle. In the movie they show us the damages of such life style.

I will make a reservation and say that although they didn't present the hippie culture in an idealistic way as other films did, they did not demonize them in the film either. The director presented the good with bad. One thing for sure, this life style didn't do any good to poor Jenny.

I think it's cruel to treat her negatively as some people do. What's more, as far as we know, she didn't sleep with Forrest knowing she had AIDS.

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[–] strntz (10816) 10 months ago

I think it's cruel to treat her negatively as some people do. What's more, as far as we know, she didn't sleep with Forrest knowing she had AIDS.

Correct. When she told Forrest she was sick and dying, little Forrest was about kindergarten age, so it had been 5-6 years since she last saw Forrest.

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[–] DavesGirl (9) 10 months ago

In the book it was Hep C but in the movie it was definitely AIDS: https://screenrant.com/forrest-gump-movie-jenny-mother-illness-death-hiv/?newsletter_popup=1

Certainly not the first screen play to differ from the book.

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[–] strntz (10816) 10 months ago

Yep, I always thought it was AIDs for years after watching the movie, but the movie never said what she actually contracted (both AIDs and Hep C are a virus after all which is what Jenny described her illness as).

In any case, it's unimportant as, for the era, both were death sentences and both would have been a result of her lifestyle resulting from her tragic abuse as a child.

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[–] Rusty (548) 10 months ago

The film hints at it being AIDS and the screenwriter has confirmed it, so movie-Jenny unequivocally dies of AIDS.

I haven’t read the books but it sounds like book-Jenny dies of Hep C.

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