Killing Patient Zero (2019) User Reviews

An effective debunking of the charge "Patient Zero" caused AIDS across America

[chong_an · 9/10 · 30 July 2019]

This is the story of Gaetan Dugas, often known as Patient Zero of the AIDS crisis. It is told by friends and associates, activists and artists, and various doctors and researchers of the mysterious gay cancer. It turns out that Gaetan is likely not "the monster who brought AIDS to America", and that "zero" was a mistaken identifier that led to the idea he started it all. Gaetan was part of the cultural resistance to the no-sex suggestion from doctors, given that only a decade had passed since homosexuality had been removed from the list of medical disorders. Ironically, while Gaetan was disbelieving of sexual transmission, he was a great help to the researchers. Also, while playing only a small part in the book And The Band Played On, that scandalous part was what finally brought the book, and AIDS, into public consciousness.

So this is an effective revision of the story of a man who was scapegoated for AIDS.

Solid documentary but ...

[Reviewer99 · 8/10 · 18 January 2020]

... probably too much background on gay life/culture/politics prior to the AIDS outbreak in North America. At times you wouldn't know the documentary was about Patient Zero. Other than that the documentary does an superb job in debunking the Patient Zero myth.

Important theme, but in a rather boring form

[m-de-werd · 7/10 · 23 May 2022]

As only three people have reviewed this documentary so far, I thought it would good to give my twopence. I have been very much in doubt how to rate it. I agree with "laragi" that documentaries that mostly consist of interviews are boring. From this point of view it is not a good film. Nevertheless it was the theme - the myth of Patient Zero - that interested me. AIDS came up shortly after I had my coming-out and I remember how frightening the whole situation was and how it affected my life and those of other gay men.

And of course one of the most intriguing stories was "Patient Zero" - the French Canadian air steward who spread the illness over North America. I heard the name "Gaetan Dugas" only much later. It is ironic that it was someone with good intentions who spread the myth. Randy Shilts did a great job to make society aware of the importance of AIDS. I have not read his book "And the band played on", but I saw the film based on it. Although Shilts stresses that he didn't want to make Dugas into the scapegoat for AIDS, this is exactly what happened. It is simply this kind of stories that people want to hear: "the man who was responsible for AIDS".

"Killing Patient Zero" does indeed debunk the myth that Gaetan Dugas was the one who was responsible for the spread of AIDS. Ironically it was his willingness to help the researchers that put him in that position. Because he gave many names of his sexual partners they were able to draw clusters. Very small misunderstandings can have deep consequences. He was named Patient O with the letter "O" for "Out of California". But the O was misread for a zero.

On the other hand I can't say that the film rehabilitates Dugas. He might not have been "the man who spread AIDS", but there is still that other very negative story that although he knew he was ill and would probably die he simply kept on having sex with many men and accepted that they might get sick and die too.

During the film his former colleagues and his friends keep on telling what a great guy he was. I do not doubt that he was charming and a brave guy who didn't hide that he was gay. But during the only scene in the film in which he appears in person, Dugas doesn't make a very sympathetic impression on me. In 1983 an AIDS Forum took place in Vancouver. The panel members were honest to say that they did not know for sure how it spread, but still they gave the advice to "decrease the number of sexual partners".

Dugas took a lively part in the discussion and kept on bombing the participants with his questions. As long as they were not 100 % sure they should not give any advice to people. One panel member recalls to have said to another. "We need might to get him of the microphone soon or he might destroy everything we reached over the last hours with his questions." Also other fragments prove that he simply ignored warnings not to spread the decease.

Nevertheless the film is definitely worth watching if you are interested in the theme. It does give a good view of the situation gays were in at the time, the beginnings of AIDS and the whole controversy about Gaetan Dugas.

Talking heads documentary

[laragi · 3/10 · 28 April 2021]

I hate documentaries that are 90 percent talking heads. Why waste your time? If you're going to uncover a topic, get footage, pictures, etc.