Pandemic: Facing AIDS (2003)
Film:
DVD:

Written by Mark Bailey
Directed by: Rory Kennedy
Narrated by Danny Glover

Features:

• Photo gallery
  
• Filmmaker biography
  
• Filmmaker statement
  
• Resource guide
  
• Trailers
  

Released by Docurama
Rating: NR
Region: 1
Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its orignal 1.33:1 format

My Advice: Everyone should rent.

I can't imagine that at this point, there's anybody anywhere who hasn't been impacted by AIDS in some form or fashion. Even if you haven't contracted the illness and don't know anyone who has (either full-blown it or HIV), the only reason it wouldn't have changed the way you've thought about drugs or sex--or other "risky behavior" that we used to take for granted--is if you're a loon. Granted, in more advanced countries the disease has at least become something that can be approached and dealt with--it's no longer seen as (at least) an instantaneous death sentence. There are things that can be done, although granted it's nowhere near a picnic.

However, the disease is very much a worldwide problem. Leaving all of the socio-political debate aside for a moment, it can't be denied that in developing countries--where the whole "life, liberty" thing hasn't exactly been nailed down yet, much less that whole "pursuit of happiness" business--it's a very serious matter. Where you can't get access to clean drinking water, a condom is probably somewhere way down on your list of priorities. And when you've got either nothing in place to tell people that protection is a good idea (or the Catholic Church telling them flat out that condoms are a bad idea), then you've got a breeding ground where the disease can go ballistic.

Where this docu gets it right is that it understands that such a daunting problem can be overwhelming to the point where the average citizen (of the world, not just the West) feels like it's more than they can tackle. We've been inundated with stats to the point where we're numb to it. You can tell me that forty million people have HIV worldwide, but it's hard to put one's head around that. Originally presented on HBO, this docu takes a fractal approach to the problem: instead of doing the gigantic brain-weakening overview, they instead focus on five very personal stories in different parts of the world--Uganda, India, Brazil, Thailand, and Russia. By fractal I mean that the small mirrors the very large, so by viewing the (mostly heart-wrenching) stories here, we can somehow grasp basic math in our heads. Five goes into forty million how many times? Jesus.

The extras on here are a bit sparse for a feature that's designed to drive its point home. You get Kennedy's statement for what he intended to do and a bio for him. You also get a "resource guide" that features addresses, websites and phone numbers of various agencies that work on the AIDS dilemma. There are also some trailers for other Docurama titles. Sadly, though, that's about it. After being stirred up by the film, you'd think there would be some backup information, or something besides a list of people you can maybe call if your momentum holds long enough to get to the phone. Even a featurette about the latest and greatest research working against the disease would have been nice, to give an added flavor of hope to the whole ordeal.

Regardless, the main program itself is enough to carry us into a definite rental arena, although those educators who have a need to get the point across about AIDS and its seriousness would certainly want to buy this and keep it on hand.