Exposing HIV/AIDS Stigma in 1980s America: A Dallas Buyers Club Analysis

Name Course Instructor Date Dallas Buyers Club Film Analysis Dallas Buyers Club is an exciting film that enlightens its audience on the little knowledge that people had of the reality of HIV/AIDs disease during the 1980s. The film “Dallas Buyers Club” falls under the drama/historical fiction genre. Melisa Wallack and Craig Borten wrote Dallas Buyers Club, with Jean-Marc Vallee serving as its director. Though the film revolves around stigmatization associated with HIV/Aids in the 1980s due to the little knowledge that people had towards the disease, the film was produced in 2013 when AIDS proved no news to society. For this reason, this essay will try to offer an understanding of people's perception and understanding of AIDs during the 1980s as portrayed in the Dallas Buyers Club through analysis of some criteria's like its directing, plot/storyline, costumes, and acting to have a better understanding of the main message that the author aimed at communicating to the target audiences. Analysis of Ron Woodroof's reaction towards his HIV status and his influence on the other people with HIV within that era will offer a better understanding of the stigmatization that the society back then associated with HIV-AIDs. Unlike in 2013, when the community had come to terms with rising cases of HIV/Aids and treating it like any other terminal illness, in the 1980s, HIV proved a curse that demanded the isolation of the victim. Directing of the Dallas film remains well thought off as directly communicates to the target audience on the varying perceptions on AIDs definition ever since the early 80s. As portrayed in the film, Dallas Buyers Club was established by Ron Woodroof in the 1980s to help fight the un-understandable disease from society. Woodroof started the club to distribute unapproved pharmaceutical drugs to people with HIV