To Jared Frieder, Three Months is a testament to the art of patience both in terms of the films subject matter and the various challenges he faced in making it.

This is a movie about someone who has to wait in uncertainty because of a virus, the writer and director told HuffPost of his debut feature, which hit Paramount+ this week. In making the movie, we literally had to wait in uncertainty because of a virus. The meta elements of that are not lost on me.

Fortunately for Frieder and his talented cast, Three Months feels impeccably timed. Set in 2011, the movie follows Caleb (played by pop star Troye Sivan ), a young gay man in suburban Florida whose post-high school plans are thrust into uncertainty after he learns he was exposed to HIV during a one-night stand. The films title refers to the length of time it takes for the human bloodstream to accumulate enough antibodies to test positive for HIV after transmission.

At the advice of his doctor (Javier Muoz), Caleb joins an LGBTQ support group, where he bonds with Estha (Viveik Kalra ), a queer teen whose Indian American family disapproves of same-sex relationships. The character also finds solace working alongside his best friend, Dara (Brianne Tju ), at a local convenience store, and at home with his grandmother (Ellen Burstyn).