The inspiring story of ACT UP, the coalition that declared war on AIDS in the 1980s, from its origins and leaders to its motivations and methods—not just demanding new and better drugs but becoming experts on what worked and what didn’t and teaching the drug companies how to run better clinical trials. Even if you lived through this era, went to protests, wept over the AIDS quilt and believed yourself aware, director David France’s assured, seamless directorial debut, rich with archival footage, will teach you something about courage, dedication and the power of well-directed anger. How to Survive a Plague (a suitably dramatic title) is already cleaning up at major awards (Best First Film from the New York Film Critic’s Circle, Best Documentary from the Boston Society of Film Critics, nominated for an Independent Spirit Award) so we are way behind the curve on this one. But it’s never too late to say, see this movie.