Director Alexandra Gavillet Discusses Stigma, Self-Confidence and STIs in The Gift
The Gift is a 2026 comedic short where the main character (portrayed beautifully by Charlotte Hurdman) finds herself with a sudden herpes diagnosis. Alongside dealing with her own fear and shame, the diagnosis changes her sex life and relationships, leading to an accidental but perhaps serendipitous disclosure. In the film’s reflection upon herpes and STIs as a part of life that, while scary, can actually bring you closer to the people around you, The Gift, really is a gift to its audience.
Prior to the film’s screening at the Calgary International Film Festival as part of Alberta Shorts Night 2, I spoke with writer and director Alexandra Gavillet about the stigma around herpes, negotiating sexual boundaries, self-confidence, and the importance of friendship.
Director Alexandra Gavillet. Photo courtesy of the Calgary International Film Festival facebook page.
REVERIE: There’s so many great films out there tonight, and this is one of the ones that I was really was excited to see come up on the list. Coming from my research in queer history, and just from living my life and accessing sexual healthcare, I find I’m so passionate about sexual health and education.
ALEXANDRA GAVILLET: Absolutely, I feel the same way. Being passionate about sexual health is something that’s kind of rare, you know?
REVERIE: It really is, but it impacts all of us! I wanted to start by asking you about the film’s title. What was your thought process or motivation behind making a film that, at least partially, frames herpes or STIs as a gift?
GAVILLET: I mean, [herpes] was something that I had really stigmatized in my own mind. I was so scared of having it because, well, that's how my sexual education and the media portrayed it to be. So when I first got it, I was ashamed and scared, but as I evolved as a human I began to understand that having it actually requires me to own my vulnerabilities, which I never knew how to do until then, and I really started to come into myself. Being able to speak about sexual health with your partners in open conversations only helps with having hard conversations outside the bedroom. It's super important. So this experience ended up being something that made me have more empathy for other people, which I grew to appreciate.
REVERIE: I totally feel the same way. Having to access ongoing sexual healthcare and general healthcare myself, there’s really way that these experience have helped me begin understand other people in my life, whether these folks are going through similar things, or even different experiences of ongoing illness or disability. It can be lonely, but having people around who can relate definitely helps.
GAVILLET: Exactly! And as you go about experiencing these things, it can be scary. It’s also why I think media and film are really important. When people are making things that show hard conversations and the hard moments in an authentic grounded way, that's why that'll make us feel like more inclined to be own our true self. You know what I mean?
REVERIE: Absolutely. I think that art can really give people a glimpse into the potential of what you can do or what you can be, or what the world can be, if you lean into who you are.
GAVILLET: Yes, exactly.
REVERIE: I’m curious about your own experiences of sexual health education, or lack thereof, growing up. Did this influence the making of The Gift?
GAVILLET: I’m from outside of Chicago, and I went to a great public high school in the Midwest. So I was lucky enough to have a sexual education, but it was still very much giving, “let me scare you with scary pictures,” and “abstinence is what you should be doing,” rather than actually being pragmatic about how people are going to experience sex in their lives. Now I think that online, and on TikTok, thankfully there are so many creators that speak about this. So it's becoming more and more of a conversation, which is really good.
REVERIE: Agreed. You know what? It's interesting that this film is playing right now. Just the other day a friend of mine came to me also with this same sexual health concern. It was something that reminded me that, even though my group of friends has been fairly open about our own health experiences, herpes can be really painful and scary, and makes people nervous to talk about. So I feel really grateful that a film like this is out there and can be a resource or talking point for folks. This has got me thinking, as we’re having conversations about sexual health with our partners, what do you think about talking to your friends about sexual health? What impact can that have in those relationships?
GAVILLET: Being able to have friendships that you can feel open and not judged by is so important. I also made this film because after I was diagnosed, I felt like I became the “guru of herpes” that a lot of people would come to with questions when they were going through that. Again, if we could have media that shows this more often, and in an authentic way, I think it would make people feel less like “I only have a few people I can talk to about this.” This is also a disease that when people get it, they go inwards a lot, and can feel very ashamed. I think it's beautiful to be able to have friends who you can talk to, and the fact that your friend came to you means so much. People will be nervous because it is scary, right? For anything, when you say something, but it's like they're so lucky and it speaks volumes about who you are too, that they have.
REVERIE: Oh, I feel so lucky that I have friends that I can go to as well. Friendships like this are everything to me. And thank you so much, I really appreciate that. On that note, if people are feeling alone in their diagnosis, or are afraid to start telling people, because they’re afraid it will push people away, what would you say to those folks?
GAVILLET: I would say that, looking up the stats, you're gonna see that you're definitely not alone. Science is science, so number one, you should know that. Then number two, know that people will have their own boundaries, and it doesn't determine anything about you, even though it feels that way. Sometimes, if you get rejected, you have to live in own your truth and be like, I'm a bad bitch. I can own this about myself. It’s so inspiring to be able to own the things about yourself that sometimes aren't the sexiest, but they're real, and that's what matters. The sexiest thing you can do is say, this is me. If someone doesn't accept that, there's eventually going to be something else that they don't accept about you too.
REVERIE: I feel like I have to take this interview and send it right to this friend! You said it perfectly.
GAVILLET: You’ve got to own yourself. It's so cool to be you, and to be vulnerable. It’ll just set you up for the future, when you’re having the hard conversations about everything else. It makes everything more transparent and better. That's what I believe.