Not a study of death, more a study of the science of preventing it, and the struggle to prevent it. As a study of that struggle, it is abundant in passion and hope - passion that becomes so very clear when the reasons behind it reveal themselves, quite naturally, and hope that becomes so very astonishing in that same light. And since the science is charged with the purpose of ending or, at least, abating mass suffering, the throbbing heart of How to Survive a Plague is regularly front-and-centre of this film. It is eventually deluged with emotion. How easy to observe a battle, such as the one depicted here, dispassionately, until it is depicted in such a way that it transforms from a battle into an appeal. There is a great many powerful moments in David France's debut documentary, as France opens up paths from the hearts of those featured to the hearts of those watching - to you and I - and provokes thoughts and feelings of one's own, to heighten the dramatic effect. He is right to do so, as he brings us closer thus to the level of emotional intensity experienced in the remarkable events captured by various people here. His use of music is a key tool in achieving this also. And this is what will stick. Not the names of the people, nor the names of the drugs, nor the dates nor places. The passion, the hope, the emotion. How to Survive a Plague may not be 2012's most important documentary, but it is its most moving.
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