Ebola Outbreak Documentary Analysis

Documentaries are well-known for appealing to the audience’s emotions. In the 2014 Frontline documentary of the Ebola outbreak, awareness of the devastation and severity of the Ebola virus are brought to the surface. The disease has ravaged the country of Sierra Leone and surrounding territories like Guinea. Community helpers, volunteers, and organizations such as Doctors without Borders came together to service those in need of aid. Unfortunately, the efforts of the doctors and helpers seem futile in that the rate of infection versus the available room and staff needed stands on opposite ends of the spectrum. The reality is that there was much needed and not enough assistance. People were dying rapidly because resources were limited. The Frontline documentary brings awareness to how fatal the virus is, how the virus is contracted, and how severe the Ebola outbreak is. The main intent, however is to bring light to the necessity of more resources in order to …show more content…
The audience saw that there was not enough staff, hospitals, or resources to treat and prevent the spread of Ebola. The documentary gives the audience a front row seat into the epidemic. The purpose of the film is well served: not only does it bring awareness to the epidemic, but it confronts need for more resources head on. It moves the audience to action. It was imperative for the directors to make this a reality for those who live the comfortable lives of privilege by appealing to their sense of compassion and benevolence. They used the impoverished and ignorant state of the people, death, and a personal connection to Kadiatu and Fallah. Thanks to the revelation of the points above, the documentary appeals to the viewers in the sense that it causes the viewers to genuinely face the reality of the epidemic happening across the globe and invokes a call to action for the suffering