I think this movie did a great job at presenting the AIDS epidemic as an injustice towards and an excuse to marginalize people that were different. But it is not without faults, similar to what both Professors mentioned in lecture: there are some shots and some individuals who were not helping to drive the story and made me uncomfortable/confused at times. The film doesn’t really capture the pressures on providing care to AIDS patients (structural barriers) but it was showing that there was pressure and backlash on the individuals that had AIDS or the hospital workers. Though it did show two people of color who contracted AIDS, black people were marginalized further with the stigma of having AIDS/HIV. I think the message of the documentary could have been strengthened by showing more background information on more (as well as diverse) patients in order to represents more sides to the epidemic.
The part where one nurse was explaining how she was told to stop thinking that she was there to cure people but to care for people, this showed a turning point in the film. I think our school system is really driving people to the “cure” mindset at a young age. As a child, I related doctors to treating patients, curing cancer, and preforming surgery. It totally lacks the idea that doctors form bonds with their patients, are usually consulting with them, and are meeting them regularly. Professor Thraikill mentioned in lecture, organic chemistry is not teaching us how to interact with patients (can confirm this because I have taken orgo 1 + 2), though it is a required class for medical school. I think many pre-health students are giving precedence to their credentials (grades, research, and extra curricular activities) because that is what gets them into med school. There is a need for “real” training around what will equip them with the emotional capacity to care for people who are in pain is needed just as much as the biological knowledge, maybe this is available in shadowing but I think maybe real life simulations of conversations and of dialogue is needed to train future health care providers.