Storytelling Event-Marilyn Ness

Bad Blood by Marilyn Ness was a heart-wrenching tale of Hemophiliacs and their contraction of HIV through blood supply during the AIDS epidemic. Since this was a sensitive topic, I felt Ness was successful in presenting a well-developed plot where the audience could grasp the facts on the issue and attain an emotional connection to the character’s stories. Facts where presented through text, copies of old newspapers/documents, and verbal statements given by primary sources of the time period such as, doctors, families, and victims. It was important to know what was going on in the time period, who was to be held responsible, and what was the public’s reaction. One could see Ness put effort into translating the correct story because she stated it was ten years in the making. She described she had struggled with money and permission to the rights of key documents. When she finally did get permission, she had to go to a warehouse to dig up all the Hemophiliacs health files during the time period.
Ness also caught my attention when she mentioned in the question and answer section that she changed the story from focusing on one hemophiliac with HIV to sharing other family’s stories. Again this was an issue that had a major impact on our nation and our healthcare system, it was important to show the unimaginable results from the epidemic. The audience needs to see it affected all not one. By the end of the lecture I was captivated by the documentary’s purpose and the courage Ness had for achieving it.