Review of How to Survive a Plague (2012) by Glenn G — 28 Sep 2012

A beautifully compiled, emotionally engaging look at the activist fight against AIDS during the darkest of days, primarily the late 80s/early 90s. As someone who was there in the trenches as a member of ACT UP and a Treatment Advocate for AIDS Project Los Angeles, there is no disputing the accuracy of what's on display here.

What's surprising is how well Director David France allows the archival footage to do the lion's share of the work with very little talking heads interference. BUT, when the narration does kick in, especially late in this film, it's an astonishing punch to the gut. For those who survived, there's a tremendous sense of sacrifice and loss, and it's conveyed with pure, unfiltered, raw emotion. Try watching Peter Staley, Spencer Cox, Mark Harrington, and Larry Kramer and not feel every moment of their struggles.

We watch as ordinary citizens put themselves front and center into an extraordinary fight with a monolith, the U.S. Government's Health Programs. It's a war in which activists almost single-handedly, and by sheer will and impressive smarts, forced the speeding up of the drug approval process. The constant street actions, civil disobedience, and a unified message embarrassed the bureaucracies and got potentially life-saving medications in the hands of people who desperately needed them. It's one of the most remarkable accomplishments I've witnessed in my lifetime and I am so proud to have been a small part of it.

We experience this film directly from a small group of people who formed a Think Tank and never thought they would live long enough to enjoy the fruits of their labor. This is powerful, essential viewing and a blistering reminder that ordinary people can make a difference.