Fire in the Blood (2013) User Reviews

Great film on a really interesting and important story

[cgillis-412-987773 · 9/10 · 7 July 2012]

A really great film on a story that needs to be told. It is story of how access to vital, low cost AIDS drugs was actively blocked to people in developing countries in the late 1990s.

The information contained in the film is quite astonishing as you understand the extent of the monopolization on drug patents that resulted in the denial of the rights of thousands of dying people to receive medical treatment from drugs that were not only readily available but could be made affordable.

This excellent film will help ensure the facts are not forgotten and it is far from being a negative production, with the positivity of the people involved in the campaign coming through.

Great documentary - shocking facts

[crixbrix · 9/10 · 1 April 2013]

What I really liked about "Fire in the Blood" is how accessible it is for all audiences and how it can cause a big impact on them.

The (lack of) access to medication is an important and serious issue and how the big pharma companies play with all of us is not something new, but I felt very shocked after watching the documentary.

It has a good pace, profiling people on the area that deserve importance on their work and mainly, presenting shocking and straightforward facts & statistics that seem not be daily covered by our media.

Sometimes it can be easy to simply close our eyes to problems which directly affect millions of people in poor countries... sometimes it can be because we are ignorants about the reality. But once you watch this, believe me, you will want to do something about. And, especially, when you realise that 'you' can also be affected.

Everyone should watch this film

[h-bysouth · 10/10 · 24 July 2013]

I watched it with a group of class mates at the end of a nursing course and found that we all had similar reactions - we were horrified. Horrified because of the reality and ashamed we were unaware of the extent of cruelty and inequality amounting to what is called "genocide" in the film.

The clips from the conferences were gripping and the personal experiences of people at the centre from Mr Clinton to the activists was heart warming.

I was particularly impressed by the enterprise in India.

The film made me scrutinise humanity and what it is to be just. It provoked personal reflection and then made me think critically about society and business. It restored my faith in human kind with the individuals who took part in the film - I would recommend it to anyone who considers themselves part of global society.

A Story that Needs to be Heard

[fionalarkan · 10/10 · 13 June 2013]

Having specifically dealt with the issue of access to antiretroviral (ARV) medication in my work, I found this to be an excellent portrayal of the social/economic/political and environmental aspects of access. The commentary was fair and nuanced and, I felt, well-balanced - bringing together the contribution (or lack thereof) of different stakeholders internationally, to tell one coherent story about the struggle to make life-saving treatment available. It is to the Director's credit that this was told in such a measured tone, without the hysteria and rhetoric that can accompany such stories. I look forward to the DVD release so that I can show it to students - it is a story that needs to be heard.

Topical, timely, depressing/despiriting

[sesht · 1 March 2014]

Had been waiting for this one to get a theatrical release since it was previewed prior to the showing of 'The Lunchbox' that I got to watch. The only other documentary that seemed to obtain a wide release at a local multiplex was 'Inside job', and I thought that was very well made.

Though it seemed to be sensationalizing both sides (just in the preview - I hope those snippets are all there is on that aspect), I still had decided to watch it.

As a subject, this is both timely and topical, considering the attention being paid by Hollywood works that (some have accused, and I don't concur) wear their politics on their sleeve - 'Elysium' and 'Dallas Buyer's club' being cases in point.

Take the politics away, and they're stories of the human will, nee, need, to survive, esp. when affordability becomes The discriminating factor.

I hoped for a balanced view to be presented here since this needs to be seen by both sides (?), for a meaningful debate to take place.

Here are my thoughts after I ended up watching it - Topical for sure. And not just about what I'd mentioned while awaiting its release either.

This is predominantly about US patent rights not allowing life-saving/essential drugs to be affordable, both in the U.S., but ironically throughout the rest of the world as well, hitting 3rd world countries worst. It's been called trade terrorism and mass genocide, and the movie shines a light on this aspect. While depicting the history of ARVs (right since their invention in '63, and how they became affordable for the rest-of-the-world thru generics' supply/distribution recently) this also acts as a cautionary tale on how the recent TRIPS (WTO) is gonna ensure that whatever victory the activists think they got on ARVs was nothing but Pyrrhic. Also, when they show that a med that's going for a 319 $/ year in most countries is still priced at $15000 to-date in the U.S., I wonder if this movie might influence anyone at all into changing that.

The narrator's William Hurt, but nowhere does he/script let that celebrity fact get in the way of the narrative.

The kicker? At the very end, the makers ask the audience to ensure there's no sequel made to this. I do wish their hopes come to fruition. Depressing, but needs to be watched, preferably on the big screen.

Best documentary film

[rahianiket · 10/10 · 12 May 2019]

I have just discovered how informative and beautiful a documentary film could be. Based on real facts how a billion dollars company only thinks about

Don't watch it

[y-13399 · 2/10 · 18 August 2022]

This documentary is absolute waste of time It spreads paranoia and unnecessary hate against pharma businesses ,it was total waste of your time.

I am pharmacist I know nothing like this shown in this fake documentary actual happenes.