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The Constant Gardener and Lorenzo’s Oil
The film production has brought a lot of insight into society. Movies have had a great influence on engaging people around the world. Despite films being part of the entertaining the crowd, they have been a learning ground for many people around the world. People have learned about other people’s cultures and traditions by watching their films. The introduction of new technology has films to be watched even more especially on the internet. This has made it easy for people to access different genres of movies they want to watch without going to the cinema. For instance, films have been used to show how the medical field has been beneficial to society through the treatment and prevention of diseases. Therefore, following paper will discuss how accurately The Constant Gardener (2005), Lorenzo’s Oil (1992) illuminates the following: the way in which pharmaceutical companies operate in other nations, especially vulnerable ones, and the U.S., and the way in which activists can influence the policies of such companies, as well as national policies.
Notably, The Constant Gardener (2005), Lorenzo’s Oil (1992) have a great significance in the society by showing how pharmaceutical companies operate in other nation especially, vulnerable ones and in the United States. The two films have different storytelling showing how pharmaceutical companies have indulged themselves in doing wrong things. Basically, The Constant Gardener is a film that is based in a novel by John Le Carre and is about a British diplomat in Kenya called Justine Quayle. Justine’s life fell because of his wife’s death that in the Northern side of Kenya. Justine came to realize that his wife Tessa was killed because she discovered and was in a verge of exposing a deadly pharmaceutical conspiracy. As a result, Justine embarks for a quest for investigating the cause of his wife’s death. On the other hand, Lorenzo’s oil is a film that is about a young boy calling Lorenzo battling adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). The boy suffered but cannot find any cure form any medication. However, his father finds an oil that brought hope to him and his family. Generally, even though the two films give different stories, they still pinpoint to one theme which is medication.
Additionally, most of the pharmaceutical companies around the world and especially in the United States have issues of either selling illegal drugs that have side effects on people. According to The Constant Gardener Justine’s wife Tessa had uncovered the fraudulent research activities of a Swiss-Canada pharmaceutical with the Kenyan branch of the multinational firm. Tessa found out that these two companies have been operating an illegal business of supplying and doing trials of Dypraxa in the slums of Nairobi which had harmful side effects to human bodies. Dypraxa. The film tries to show how pharmaceutical companies take advantage of poor communities and try their harmful drugs on them to see if it works. According to the movie, the dugs had not passed the right procedure and were given freely to anyone who volunteered. This shows how many countries fall in to trap of some pharmaceutical companies because of their lack of resources in researching to find solutions. On the other hand, countries with fewer resources are in the danger of being exposed to corruption. This gives the illegal human drug trials an opportunity to give money to high ranked officials so that they can get whatever they want. As a result, many people have died because of human drug trials by pharmaceutical companies that are illegal.
On the other hand, looking at the film Lorenzo’s oil, it has a different story compared to The Constant Gardener. According to Lorenzo’s oil Lorenzo is having an incurable disease that makes him suffer but no one can do anything about it. His parents move from one place to another looking for a cure for their son. They even met doctors that had a passion for helping Lorenzo, but there was no hope. However, through their journey to find a cure they met a doctor who gave them an idea of using oil to try to repair the damaged cells in the brain of Lorenzo. They tried the procedure, and it worked well even though it did not heal the disability part of it. Basically, this shows how some doctors are passionate to take care of the lives of their patients. This means that some pharmaceutical companies produce good drugs and sell them to patients who are suffering from a disease. Because of the idea that was given by the doctor, Lorenzo lived for many years which was not possible. The film shows how other pharmaceutical companies have the interest of human beings at heart.
Corresponding, the lives of many people are in danger because of the introduction of new drugs that have some side effects. The only people who can help in fighting the harmful drug trials are the activist. They are different ways in which activists can influence the policies of such companies, as well as national policies. Activists have influence especially when they see a major problem in the society caused by people who are supposed to protect and provide a solution. Firstly, activists should work to promote, guide and impede changes in government or business by influencing the actions of individual and groups. Activists build connections among communities and groups and distribute information on specific issues to create awareness and influence social changes. Secondly, the activities should make sure that action is taken especially in the case of pharmaceutical companies using people as test subjects without authorization. An activist has the mandate to make sure that the pharmaceutical companies and the government follow policies by using any legal action possible. Thirdly, activists should make sure that they have talked and sorted out experts that are familiar with the field they are investigating so that they have solid fats of taking the culprits to court for justice. Basically, activists has been successful because of their strategies for pressure groups and focusing on specific short term issues.
Conclusively, pharmaceutical and health systems have been creating treatments that are harmful to the patients. Because of business, they are willing to sacrifice ethical rules to look for money whereas humanity is perishing. On the other hand, some governments who are supposed to protect their citizens are willing to trade money with the lives of their people so that they can get rich. The two movies have shown how the aspect of good and bad has an impact on the lives of the common people. Activist are the only people who are willing to stand on the way of people who are willing to harm humanity by making sure that justice has been served.
Works cited
McNeil, Alex. “Toward an Activist Political Theory.” (2016).
Rid, Annette, and Seema K. Shah. “The ethics of international research: The constant gardener.” The Picture of Health: Medical Ethics and the Movies. Oxford University Press, 2015. 1-6.
Rosenthal, M. Sara. “Pediatric Ethics and the Limits of Parental Authority: Lorenzo’s Oil (1992).” Clinical Ethics on Film. Springer, Cham, 2018. 173-194.