Survivors 2018
Distributed by Documentary Educational Resources, 101 Morse Street, Watertown, MA 02472; 617-926-0491
Produced by Anna Fitch, Arthur Pratt, Banker White, Barmmy Boy, Samantha Grant, and Sara Dosa
Directed by Arthur Pratt
Streaming, 84 mins
High School - General Adult
Community Health Services; Public Health
Date Entered: 06/15/2020
Reviewed by Andrew Koval, MSLSSurvivors details the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone. The Ministry of Health’s war on Ebola employs corpse contamination control procedures, critical information forms, sanitization, ambulances, Ebola treatment centers, quarantine, and a public health education campaign. While hospitals celebrate cured patients with a “certificate of discharge.” Central to this piece is how the virus impacts society. Discussion on the biology of the virus is fleeting.
The emotional impact the pandemic has on families and health care workers registers. Faith is also themed. Apparent problems are compounded by Ebola due to the countries pre-existing conditions of poverty, over-population, and lack of sanitation. Sierra Leone is a culture of physical contact. And Ebola’s transmission impedes that. The peril of the virus is adeptly characterized.
Viewers will sympathize and relate given the wide-reaching COVID19 pandemic. Though not graphic, this work is overlong and would benefit from fewer themes that detract from the main idea. Survivors will command a general interest and serve best in the collection of an academic, school, and public library.