How to Survive a Plague: Documentary

How to Survive a Plague is a 2012 American documentary film about the early years of the AIDS epidemic and the efforts of activist groups ACT UP and TAG. It was directed by David France, a journalist who covered AIDS from its beginnings. France's first film was dedicated to his partner Doug Gould who died of AIDS-related pneumonia in 1992. The documentary was produced using more than 700 hours of archived footage which included news coverage, interviews as well as film of demonstrations, meetings, and conferences taken by ACT UP members themselves. France says they knew what they were doing was historic, and that many of them would die. The film, which opened in select theatres across the United States on September 21, 2012, also includes footage of a demonstration during mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in 1989.

Subjects

People featured in the film include:

·         Bill Bahlman

·         David Barr

·         Gregg Bordowitz

·         George H. W. Bush (archive footage)

·         Bill Clinton (archive footage)

·         Spencer Cox

·         Jim Eigo

·         Susan Ellenberg

·         Anthony S. Fauci

·         Mark Harrington

·         Jesse Helms (archive footage)

·         Garance Franke-Ruta

·         Larry Kramer

·         Mathilde Krim

·         Ed Koch

·          Iris Long

·         Ray Navarro

·         Ann Northrop

·         Bob Rafsky

·         Peter Staley

Summary

Beginning at the start of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in New York City, the documentary follows a group of AIDS activists and founders of AIDS group ACT UP, and follows their struggle for a response from the United States government and medical establishment in developing effective HIV/AIDS medications. Activists took it upon themselves to convince the FDA to approve drugs which could slow or even halt the AIDS virus, and demanded that drug trials (which would usually take 7–10 years) be shortened so potentially life-saving treatments could be made available. The film also documents the underground market for HIV drugs: many people relied on drugs imported from other countries, which were believed to potentially slow down the HIV virus despite not being FDA approved.

At the time, the only drug available to slow the progression of HIV was AZT, which in many cases was toxic to HIV infected people, and in some cases even caused blindness. The cost of AZT was about $10,000 per year in the late 1980s. ACT UP's efforts led to the creation of the International AIDS Conference. Eventually, DDI, an alternative to AZT that did not cause blindness, was released by the FDA despite not going through a full-length safety trial.

HIV activists also protested the immigration policies banning HIV positive people from immigrating to the United States as being discriminatory and homophobic.

When existing drugs proved ineffective as a treatment for HIV, TAG lobbied for more research into the HIV virus. In 1996, Protease inhibitors were released. These consist of a combination of drugs that lower the HIV viral load in patients more than any drug had before. It was considered a breakthrough in HIV and AIDS research and continues to be used as a treatment for HIV and AIDS.

The documentary included interviews with HIV activists, physicians and members of underground organizations as well as clips of the protests, meetings, and news coverage taking place during the 1980s and 1990s.

France's book of the same title, expanding on the material, events and people covered in the film was published in 2016 to critical acclaim; it was described as "the definitive book on AIDS activism", was longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence and was named to numerous best-of and top-ten lists, including the New York Times 100 Notable Books for 2016.

Reception

Critical response

Currently, the film has a rating of 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and an average score of 8.6/10, based on 69 reviews.

Accolades

How to Survive a Plague received awards for best documentary of 2012 from the Gotham Independent Film Awards and from the Boston Society of Film Critics. The Independent Spirit Awards nominated it for Best Documentary. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 85th Academy Awards.  The film also won a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Documentary and a Peabody Award.   It was nominated for a Directors Guild Award and the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.  Critic A. O. Scott of The New York Times named How to Survive a Plague one of the best five documentaries of 2012.  Fellow New York Times critic Stephen Holden called the documentary the eighth best film of 2012.  It also won Documentary of the Year at Attitude magazine's Attitude Awards 2013.