Review: 'How to Survive A Plague'

It’s interesting to note that the decade that was the late, great, ‘80s is thirty years gone now.  The eighties are very much back again, call-backs in fashion and music, lampooning it in television and movies, it’s everywhere.  Despite all the recent nostalgia, one thing that has been a bit lost in time is how much HIV and the AIDS virus radically changed the world.  They had the populace in a panic and brought out some harsh opinions that would previously have not been made in public. The documentary How To Survive A Plague

How To Survive A Plagueis a film focusing on the Homosexual male community in the eighties, showing how it dealt with HIV and AIDS as it ravaged their population and how they rallied to push progress on treating the virus throughout the country. It begins in the early days of the AIDS crisis when little was known about the virus.  The film traces two organizations, ACT UP and TAG, as they form and proceed to learn about the virus and what was being done--or not done-- in regards to treating it. You see from their perspective as the members of these groups took it upon themselves to become activists, going head-to-head against the FDA and pharmaceutical industry to push for progress in experimental trials, fighting for patients to see treatment in record time.

The strongest part of the film is the story itself. There has been little attention paid over the years to the point of view of those born in the 70s and early 80s, and how the HIV and AIDS epidemics affected them.  Hearing the story directly from those involved lends it a sense of intimacy and legitimacy, offering a clear connection to their struggle.

Unfortunately the interviews themselves are shot without finesse, feeling reminiscent of something seen on a VH1 Rock Doc. The editing is simple, but effective, never becoming distracting; a lesson that other documentary film makers should note. One thing the film could have done better was show more how HIV and AIDS affected the population outside of the gay community. At points it seems to imply that the disease was only hurting that portion of the American population. A broader overview might’ve helped show that AIDS cast its shadow across the entire populace and that the work done by ACT UP and TAG went towards the betterment of all. Overall How To Survive A Plague is a good documentary that covers a lot of ground on pretty recent history well and is engaging throughout. It is worth the time invested and might spur you to go and research some of the people, groups and events on your own.