I want to frame the discussion about How to Survive a Plague a bit as you watch the film and develop your responses to it. I think this is a really useful film in order to have a better understanding of some of the political contexts from which queer theory emerged. De Lauetis mentions the AIDS crisis specifically, for instance. And, it's important to know that Foucault died of AIDS-related illnesses.
When I say "use De Lauretis and Foucault as a lens" to respond to the film, if it's helpful, think of it this way: What story does Foucault tell about the world works? What story does De Lauretis tell? What do these stories tell us about the story the film tells? What stories, then, would Foucault and De Lauretis tell about this film if they were writing about it? Some guiding questions that might be helpful as you think about the film:
About the film: What are the filmmakers doing? Who is privileged in their story? What does the film do to intervene in and/or perpetuate systems of oppression?
About the events: Where is power? Where is resistance? How do they circulate and move? How is bio-power (Foucault) related to these issues?
These aren't the only things you can talk about, but if it's useful to use these questions to start writing, please make use of them.
ᏩᏙ/Thanks!
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I encourage folks to tag their posts--it will help us as the blog grows.
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