THE PLOT THUS FAR
The story of two coalitions — ACT UP and TAG (Treatment Action Group) — whose activism and innovation turned AIDS from a death sentence into a manageable condition.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
I didn’t hate or love “How to Survive a Plague”. I appreciate it as a historical capsule and I appreciate the attention that it is raising. Fighting a disease is hard, regardless of your socio-economic or sexual background. There is something in the history of humanity that shows the emotional and physical weight of these battles; thus very few documentaries have been able to capture this struggle. This film beats those odds.
David France’s excellent documentary takes us back in time to see the fight AIDS activists had to go through in order to get where we are today. Through video clips, interviews and other forms of video footage we see how the times changed throughout the years while the main focus of the film is set during the late 80s and early 90s when political indifference and a lack of any plan caused millions of people to die while drugs that might have helped them weren’t being given to them.
The DVD comes with commentary and deleted scenes as the special features. The A/V Quality is strong with a supportive transfer and a Dolby 5.1 audio track. The Dolby track doesn’t get much back channel action outside of the few major crowd scenes. In the end, I’d recommend a rental.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!