Protestors take place in a gathering during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s. (Courtesy of Public Square Film)

Believe it or not there was a time, not too long ago, that people actually had to meet and debate when they wanted to enact social change. Protests of yesteryear didn’t include the luxury of Twitter and Facebook to keep the word moving.

How to Survive a Plague tells the story of gay activists in the 1980s and the struggle they encountered to find medicine and government support, for victims of AIDS: a disease that was destroying their population.

The documentary, directed by David France, is a compelling and put together piece that explores a story that is far too often forgotten in history’s narrative.

France used his storytelling instinct to weed through thousands of hours of footage and interviews in an effort to tell the almost decade long saga.

France claimed that the first cut of the film was close to seven hours long.

The content within How to Survive a Plague is draped in both sorrow and sadness. France was brave in his brevity as he shows the audience the real ramifications of AIDS and the toll it can take on a human life.

The real victory of HTSAP comes from the documentary’s subjects themselves.

ACT UP and TAG (Treat Action Group) are the film’s two primary focuses. France shows the two organizations in their incubation stage as they came together to fight AIDS.

What makes How to Survive a Plague so compelling is the film’s revelation that humanity, when grouped together by a common cause, can overcome any problem it’s faced with. This facet is particularly showcased as the members of ACT UP and TAG (who are strictly from non-science backgrounds) hit the books and present options for AIDS treatments that scientists failed to find.

How to Survive a Plague is a rare gem in the world of documentary that does what documentaries should – gives a voice to the voiceless.

How to Survive a Plague opens in Dallas Friday.