New York- There is a moment in the new PBS documentary on Dr. Anthony Fauci in which a protester holds up a handmade sign that reads: “Dr. Fauci, he is killing us.”
It says something about Fauci that it’s not initially clear when that billboard was waved in rage: in the 1980s, when AIDS was making its deadly appearance, or in the 2020s, with opponents of the COVID vaccine. -19.
“American Teachers: Dr. Tony Fauci” offers a portrait of an unlikely lightning rod: a government scientist specializing in infectious diseases who has advised seven presidents. Fauci hopes that he can inspire more public servants like him.
“I felt it was necessary to tell a story so that people would understand what public health officials go through, but I also hope it will inspire young people who are into science or are interested in going into it,” he said. to The Associated Press. The documentary is broadcast on Tuesday and deferred.
A film crew followed him for 23 months
Fauci allowed a film crew to follow him for 23 months starting in January 2021. The documentary covers his career and its crises, especially the way COVID-19 was handled by the Trump administration.
“When you talk about all the different things coming together for a disaster, that’s what happened: A divided country, a president who amplified the division, and then a public health crisis; You couldn’t ask for a worse combination of things,” he said.
Director Mark Mannucci offers an intimate look at his subject, with footage of Fauci running from meeting to meeting and wolfing down Wheat Thins between Zooms. His wife attests to the stress by pointing out her security device due to the threats.
“The story illuminates – and he would be the first to say it – some very dark things about this country and how a person who has dedicated his life to helping individuals has become so twisted in this current climate,” Mannucci said.
Michael Kantor, executive producer of the American Masters series, says Fauci is a figure who has been central to American life for decades and deserves scrutiny, even if he is virulently opposed by some.
“Dr. Fauci is a very controversial figure, and there will be people who express – like in the movie – their displeasure with what he has done and his way of approaching things. But isn’t that the goal of the public media? His goal is for that conversation to happen in the best possible way.”
