This HBO film wasn't bad, but I felt like they could have done a better job.
Mary Morgan (Hilary Swank) takes her son to South Africa for an experiment as he was being bullied at school and used free time wasting away playing video games. And young George (Lux Haney-Jardine) is having the time of his life until, thanks to a hole in the mosquito netting, he dies suddenly of malaria. Mary is devastated and blames herself.
Upon her return trip, she meets Martha (Brenda Blethyn) whose own son, Ben (Sam Claflin) died of malaria while he was working/volunteering at an orphanage down there. Together, they decide to help fight to end the deadly disease, only then does the film finally move along, even though it folds out just like you have seen before, in other films, but that doesn't make it any less effective.
Malaria is indeed a killer, killing many more people each year than terrorist attacks and the Vietnam conflict. And, with the proper netting, completely preventable. Ben, in his case, gave his malaria pills away to the children, but the poor guy dies off-screen, unlike the young George, whose death fuels the film. Poor Mary does blame herself, but has to turn her grief into something good, which she does. She just wants to save one life.
Despite the good performances and message, the film is slow going and I wish they had added the perspective of someone on the inside, instead of doing the typical Hollywood white-washing everything. And why was Paul (one of the orphans) taken to a different hospital than George? Grade: B+
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