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A Review of \u201cDallas Buyers Club\u201d (USA 2013, directed by Jean-Marc Vallee). Released in the UK on Friday 7th February 2014<\/b><\/p>\n
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Say hello to Ron Woodroof, a \u2018typical\u2019 Texan. He loves the rodeo. He wears a white t-shirt, boots, a large belt buckle and, of course, a classic Stetson hat. He is a heterosexual aggressive man who loves drinking, drugs, gambling and women. Not the \u2018typical\u2019 person you envisage when you think someone with HIV\/AIDS living in the 1980s. But after Ron is diagnosed with \u201cHIV\u201d, he becomes an \u201covernight champion\u201d for human rights; in particular for the rights of those living with HIV to access unlicensed treatments. In an era where discrimination towards those living with HIV was rife, he is soon shunned by his friends and colleagues, gets evicted from his trailer and ends up in an apartment with a pre-op transsexual. His newest \u201centerprise\u201d is selling FDA unapproved antiretroviral drugs to fellow end-of-lifers.<\/p>\n
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While acting in his new role pharmaceutical \u201cdrug dealer\u201d Woodroof, played by Matthew McConaughey, discovers facts that elude health professionals: such as the significance of patients\u2019 concerns and the value of achieving peace, rather than than prolonging life at all cost.<\/p>\n
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Based on the 1992, \u2018Dallas Morning News\u2019 article written by Bill Minutaglio, the script underwent multiple re-writes before funding was secured. With many actors competing for the role, it was McConaughey, who Woodroof\u2019s sister said shared the same swagger and personality as her brother, who eventually secured the role.<\/p>\n
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Armed with a passport, and a strong sense of enterprise, Woodroof travels around the globe acquiring illegal drugs such as alpha-interferon. Ron creates his own pseudo-Big Pharma company in the form of a \u201cDallas Buyers Club\u201d selling prescription-only drugs deemed illegal by the FDA<\/p>\n
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Moral ambiguity imbues the film, with the question of ethics as a recurrent theme. For example, in the representation of research, Woodroof and Big Pharma run clinical trials in parallel. \u00a0The numerous attempts made at shutting down Woodroof\u2019s enterprise by the hospital and Internal Revenue Service, who he tries to bribe to keep his business going, is echoed by the pharmaceutical companies subsidizing the hospitals running the antiretroviral trials on their behalf.<\/p>\n
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Homophobia and ostracizing those who were \u2018different\u2019 are evident throughout the film. Director Jean-Marc Velee\u2019s perspective of the deliberate targeting of HIV community groups, amongst the gay scene by Woodroof in selling his drugs, is paralleled by the pharmaceutical companies going straight to human trials of AZT, further exploiting and preying on the \u201cdesperate and dying\u201d.<\/p>\n
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The character of Eve, played by Jennifer Garner, represents ethical medicine. She questions the pharmaceutical companies\u2019 intentions in persevering with the clinical trials once the significant side effects of antiretroviral drugs became apparent. Her character also highlights the hierarchy that exists in medicine, then and now. As the film progresses, Eve\u2019s voice as the younger, more empathetic doctor contrasts that of her boss Dr. Sevard. His desire to continue with the trial is directly juxtaposed with her disenfranchisement with it and continuing support for Woodroof\u2019s work.<\/p>\n
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Much hype has surrounded Matthew McConaughey\u2019s weight loss, but that is a small part of his meticulously researched performance. The subtleties and nuances of both his voice and expressions portraying a multi-dimensional figure earned him a well-deserved Oscar nomination.<\/p>\n
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In some aspects it seems that the film is made for the undiscerning viewer, in its stereotypes of corporate America and each characters role displayed clearly in their costume. As another variation of the classic David and Goliath story, nothing is ambiguous here and with the constant voice-overs, there is no doubting the identity of the protagonist. Velee\u2019s perspective is that there is a direct comparison between Woodroof and Big Pharma, with Woodroof\u2019s success in that battle epitomised in his prolonged life beyond the 30 days he was given by the medical profession.<\/p>\n
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This film is a timely way to revisit the HIV\/AIDS crisis and continues the work of titles such as \u201cPhiladelphia\u201d and \u201cAngels in America\u201d. But unlike Denzel Washington\u2019s character, in Philadelphia, Woodroof\u2019s personal change is guided by greed rather than compassion. Vellee, ensuring that the film\u2019s take-home message is heard loud and clear, amplifies this journey for the mainstream viewer.<\/p>\n
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Dr Shehzad Kunwar (independent film maker, photographer and musician):\u00a0<\/i>shehzadkunwar@doctors.org.uk<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Review of \u201cDallas Buyers Club\u201d (USA 2013, directed by Jean-Marc Vallee). Released in the UK on Friday 7th February 2014 \u00a0 \u00a0 Say hello to Ron Woodroof, a \u2018typical\u2019 Texan. He loves the rodeo. He wears a white t-shirt, boots, a large belt buckle and, of course, a classic Stetson hat. He is a […]<\/p>\n