Fauci

This excellent documentary manages to capture Fauci's jovial personality and his achievements, as well as his controversies, without being controversial itself. A standard pre-credits montage sequence shows how controversial the famous scientist has become, mainly due to the United States' deep political divide (he's "an enemy and a rock star all at once," as his daughter Jenny describes him). But as soon as he sits down, it's easy to see that he's a likable man who's willing to open up and talk about anything. A good section of the movie is devoted to his struggles against not only AIDS, but also against AIDS activists, who felt Fauci didn't care or wasn't working fast enough on a cure. But when the doctor gathered everyone together to talk, peace was achieved.

"To include these voices makes for better science," he says at a 1990 conference. Fauci addresses COVID-19 -- the virus that made Fauci a household name -- discussing both the speed at which a vaccine was produced (Fauci is seen getting his shot) and the hate that came from his detractors, hate that he doesn't return. It also tells a positive story in which President George W. Bush learned about a deadly AIDS epidemic raging in Uganda; with Fauci's help, he sent $15 billion in aid. (The former president appears here to tell the story.) Fauci leaves off with a sense of its subject's sheer energy and even humility. He hopes that, when all is said and done, people will think of him, "Hey! That guy was pretty good."