Transmission Routes: The Global AIDS Epidemic in South Africa and France

This paper explores the representation of people affected by HIV in rural and urban areas in South Africa and France. The essay discusses how people affected by HIV/AIDS have been represented in films, which use physical and interior journeys as a vehicle for examining the bodies and experiences of people living (and dying from) HIV. Feature films by Jacques Martineau and Olivier Ducastel (Drôle de Felix, France, 2001) and Darrell James Roodt (Yesterday, South Africa, 2004) are explored to counterpoint the experiences of people affected by HIV in diverse environmental and social settings. Roodt's film depicts a bleak picture of a South African rural environment without sufficient medical resources, while Martineau and Ducastel's film demonstrates how access to antiretroviral treatments can sustain the life and journey of the person living with HIV. By bringing these films together, this essay raises questions about the parity and availability of HIV and AIDS treatments and medical resources in the north and the south.