Documentary: How to Survive a Plague (2012)

As of the year 2012, the World Health Organization and the United Nations reported that 1.4 to 1.9 million persons have succumbed to acquired immune syndrome, AIDS (Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, 2012). This disease weakens the body immune system rendering the body weak and unable to defend itself from other related diseases hence the death of its victims. Various documentaries have been seen talking about AIDS, and its impacts such as We Were Here, but it is hard to come by a multifaceted, informative and fascinating documentary like How to Survive a Plague. Directed by David France, How to Survive a Plague is a 2012 documentary that shows the actions of two groups which made revolutionary efforts in making AIDS a manageable epidemic as opposed to its earlier perception as a death sentence in the 80s and early 90s. The TAG (Treatment Action Group) and ACT UP (AIDS action to unleash power) groups are in the center of the protests calling for treatment and action on AIDS by the government. The main topic of this documentary is HIV/AIDS, its effects on the American people including the LGBT community, the stance of previous presidents on the issue, treatment and the available information or research on the ailment.

The epidemic hit Greenwich Village in the 1980s, something that was only read in history books. As the bodies of its victims thinly wore off, the film shows how the dead were quickly cremated as the country was faced with a horrifying body-wasting plague. As a result, there was desperation for any form of cure as the government became defiant of the peoples concerns. The film uses archival footages showing peoples demonstrations, meetings of ACT UP group, support rallies, reports from HIV/AIDS researchers and interviews.

France depicts frustrations within the community as AIDS victims and activists struggle with a strange illness as family and friends go blind and eventually die. Appalling is the realization that the government does so little to remedy the situation. The film showcases various forms of discriminations in the 80s and 90s as the infected patients were ostracized from the rest of the people; the gay community undergoes the most inhumane treatment as a stereotypical view ties a blame on them as the source of the plague. History has it that AIDS was labeled as gay-cancer or gay-related immunodeficiency. Even though the government knew the prejudices surrounding the LGBT community and the blames put on them by the public, it refused to comment fearing it would promote homosexuality.

It is disturbing watching images of former presidents like Ronald Reagan, George Bush senior, former Senator Helms Jesse and other government officials they present extreme opinions and discriminatory attitudes towards an issue requiring an immediate response. Further, Ed Kotch - the former mayor of New York City, blatantly denies the AIDS epidemic is leaving a bitter taste in an already sour situation. What sparked rage and grief from Americans, especially the TAG and Act Up groups, at the time was how expensive the government sold the only available drug (AZT) that could sustain the lives of AIDS patients. Even though it was highly toxic, the drug cost $10,000 locking out most ordinary victims thereby sentencing them early to their graves. The activists also protested against the strict conventions of the Roman Catholic Church against the use of condoms despite the knowledge that the transmittance of the virus, in addition to other causes, was through unprotected sex. The two groups confronted the government and major medical institutions like Merck; their objective was to publicize the epidemic and demand for subsidized price of AZT. In the film, France incorporates pictures of demonstrations in front of government offices, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies as workers are blocked from accessing such premises. Members of the two groups involved researchers and scientists who had studied AIDS disease for years. They took the responsibility to work together to find a cure for the epidemic that the government had ignored and in the process taking the media by storm. They revolutionized the way the disease was perceived, rendering it a manageable condition rather than a plague (France, 2012).

Reason for choosing documentary as a methodology

The significance of understanding history and the historical milestones using documentaries lies in the motivation and engagement that go beyond the ordinary illustrations of books. The film provides a pathway to a deep understanding that emphasizes on a show rather than tells methodology (Aufderheide, 2007). The majority of scholarly works that have been archived in the field of medicine, history of diseases and their origins are documented in mostly in papers and books (Chapman, 2011). Historical films provide a resourceful and thoughtful means through which learners interact with historical pasts. For example How to Survive a Plague is crafted to show the history of a disenfranchised American nation at a time when unity and civil duty was needed the most. The traditional modes of exploring historical events are well complemented by the use of historical films and documentaries.

Personal opinion

It is an undisputable fact that the roles played by the two groups revolutionized America and lessened the adverseness attached to AIDS. The matters they addressed were the foundation of civil rights of the minority persons. The various researches on this disease done by TAG and ACT UP groups were the basis of which breakthroughs were realized. On the contrary, it was an absolute act of negligence and backwardness for government officials to take a backseat in addressing such issues of national importance and emergency. The rights and privileges of the LGBT community were neglected.

References

Aufderheide, P. (2007). Documentary Film, Oxford University Press.

Chapman, A. (2011). Historical Interpretations in Ian Davies, Debates in History Teaching, London, Routledge.

France, D. (2012). How to Survive a Plague. Box Office Mojo.

Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. (2012). Global report: UNAIDS report on the global AIDS epidemic: 2012. Geneva: UNAIDS.