Filmmaker Elaine Epstein's angry yet sharply focused documentary looks at the tragic HIV and AIDS pandemic in South Africa, focusing specifically on how President Thabo Mbeki has mishandled the crisis. According to the film, Mbeki's bizarre insistence that HIV is not the cause of AIDS served to prevent the South African government from spending funds to make antiretroviral medication available through public channels. Coupled with the ruinous official policies is the continuing stigma in many sections of South Africa surrounding HIV and AIDS: as recently as 1998, a woman was stoned to death by her neighbors for letting the news leak that she tested positive. If there are any heroes in this sad story, they would be the members of the Treatment Action Campaign, which has used legal action and intensive educational efforts to fight the Mbeki government, force the major pharmaceutical providers to drastically lower the cost of their medications, and raise awareness of HIV treatments and prevention methods, including the long-discouraged use of condoms. State of Denial brings out the widest range of emotions imaginable, from the heart-wrenching sight of a father pleading with God to save his children from becoming orphaned through the impending death of his infected wife, to the dark humor of a young woman who recalls how she was abruptly abandoned on a date when her HIV-positive status was revealed to her would-be boyfriend. Since the AIDS catastrophe shows no signs of abating, and pharmaceutical firms are not making any serious effort to slash the prices of lifesaving HIV and AIDS medication, State of Denial is a particularly timely look at a terrible state of affairs. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)
State of Denial
(2003) 83 min. In English, Sotho & Zulu w/English subtitles. VHS or DVD: $49.95: high school & public libraries; $195: colleges & universities. California Newsreel. PPR. Color cover. Closed captioned. Volume 19, Issue 6
State of Denial
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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