Words like “important” and “inspiring” tend too often to be meaninglessly attached to non-fiction filmmaking, but in the case of David France's compelling snapshot of a revolutionary period in AIDS treatment, they are amply justified.
PARK CITY – Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of David France’s emotionally charged documentary, How to Survive a Plague, is that despite the wealth of books, films and plays dealing with AIDS, this feels like a part of the story that hasn’t yet been told – certainly not with such probing insight. Packed with fascinating interviews and stirring footage from the trenches, the film deftly shapes its information stream into a powerful drama recounting the highs and lows, setbacks and victories in the fight for an effective HIV treatment.
"An essential, heroic story is told in this documentary composed of archival video footage taken by the subjects themselves. It's the tale of a disease—AIDS—and the activists who managed to turn the perception of it away from Reaganite fear and shame into something much closer to compassion."
-Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York
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