Habit (2002)

Overview

HABIT is an autobiographical documentary that follows the current history of the AIDS epidemic along several trajectories. The organizing structure is built around the daily routine of the videomaker -- a veteran AIDS activist in the U.S., and a person who has been living with AIDS for over ten years. As the videomaker moves through his day, attending to mundane errands, eating, taking pills, having conversations with friends (some who have diseases like AIDS and Breast Cancer, and others who are healthy), memories of a recent trip to South Africa reoccur and interrupt the routine. In South Africa, the videomaker meets people with AIDS, fighting to get access to the same life saving drugs that he depends on to survive. It is estimated that there are over four million people infected with HIV in South Africa. The vast majority of people with AIDS in Africa do not have access to medical treatment.