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Under Our Skin (2008)
Director: Andy Abrahams Wilson
Movie review
From Time Out New York
Director Andy Abrahams Wilson casts a wide net in his pissed-off, passionate film about Lyme disease. He not only profiles a handful of long-term patients—who describe years of being told their debilitating, maddeningly diverse symptoms are psychosomatic and recount the toll that chronic illness took on their marriages, professional lives and finances—but also takes aim at the insurance industry and the American medical establishment. The documentarian uncovers compelling evidence of complicity to manipulate treatment guidelines and punish noncompliant doctors by suspending their licenses; when money and medicine are in conflict, the money wins. It’s the same argument Michael Moore made in Sicko, but it bears repeating.
Wilson is unabashedly on the side of the patients and the “Lyme literate” doctors dedicated to treating them. But he gives solid screen time to physicians who describe it as a straightforward, treatable infection with a limited range of non-life-threatening symptoms; the gulf between the two positions is alarming. The trouble with Lyme, the film stops just short of suggesting, is that the medical industry would like to wish the disease away because it’s such a pain in the ass. A word to the wise: Don’t be so cavalier about tick avoidance unless you want to test out that theory for yourself.
Author: Maitland McDonagh
Time Out New York Issue 716: June 18 - 24, 2009
User reviews of this film
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- Beth in CA said...
- Posted on Jul 02 2009 22:09 Brilliant, shocking, sad, maddening, all at the same time. An excellent film that everyone should see.
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- John C, NJ said...
- Posted on Jun 04 2009 09:46 I live in an area where Lyme is rampant, and know many people who have been affected - including myself. I had advanced Lyme, and it has taken thousands of dollars (mostly out of my own pocket) and 15 years to get it under control... I'm not 100% cured, but it is bearable at this point. Unfortunately, one of my dearest friends had it for many years, and ultimately succumbed to it. This, after being bedridden for two years, enduring excruciating pain, and being 100% helpless. It is real, it is awful, and America should be ashamed.
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- Jay said...
- Posted on Aug 28 2008 04:32 Outrage. I have ppl close to me going thru this. Epidemic. Politics. Insurance. Big Pharm. Outrage. This is absolutely one of the worst things medicine has done. Im beside myself with anger. This is real people, ive seen it.
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- Heather said...
- Posted on Apr 30 2008 08:11 I commend Wilson for his work on this film. While I haven't seen the completed work, I saw a 30 minute cut a year ago. I know from my own Lyme experience these people were not sick just -on film- as the reviewer put it. This is why the film was created. To show just how sick we are, and to stop attitudes such as this. But it seems even seeing with your own eyes someone else's struggle isn't enough. Please remember Ms. Halpern, this movie is a documentary. None of these people were actors. Unlike Michael J. Fox, we can't just take a pill and make our symptoms disappear. Open minds, open hearts.
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- The "Un-Doctor" said...
- Posted on Apr 29 2008 09:41 This is a very well done expose of the politics behind the Lyme disease epidemic, and I hope that the Festival brings Mr. Wilson many offers for distribution! This film needs to be seen and the greed and self-interest of the IDSA exposed!
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- Doc diva said...
- Posted on Apr 26 2008 23:39 Just came from the premiere - this was an excellent film. The world of insurance-related greed and abuse we saw in Sicko is still thriving apparently. And yes, reminded me of the early AIDS struggles. Scary what goes on that we don't know about. Definitely worth seeing.
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- NY PhD said...
- Posted on Apr 26 2008 23:02 This is an absolutely brilliant film. An emotional rollercoaster that ends on a hopeful note, this film explores the maddening controversy surrounding a dangerous epidemic that is being ignored in a way very reminiscent of the early AIDS crisis. An excellent film.
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