How to Survive a Plague (2012) on Netflix
NR20121h 49mDocumentaryHistory
ACT UP forms in New York City as the HIV/AIDS epidemic begins. Its members press the government and the medical establishment for effective drugs, and TAG lobbies for more research.
- Netflix4.4/5
- IMDb7.6/104,562 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes98%
Trailer
Plot summary
As the AIDS crisis takes hold, a group of activists in New York City forms ACT UP, determined to force a response from federal agencies and the medical establishment. Its members, who have no scientific training, call on the FDA to approve drugs that might slow or halt the virus, and they demand that drug trials usually lasting seven to ten years be shortened so that treatments can reach patients sooner. At the time, AZT is the one drug that can slow HIV, toxic to many patients and costing about ten thousand dollars a year, and many people rely on an underground market for drugs brought in from other countries. A second coalition, TAG, lobbies for more research into the virus.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about How to Survive a Plague (2012)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The documentary was assembled from more than 700 hours of archived footage, including news coverage, interviews and film of demonstrations, meetings and conferences shot by ACT UP members themselves.
