My Own Country

Released 1998
Stars Naveen Andrews, Marisa Tomei, Hal Holbrook, Swoosie Kurtz, Ramier Dr. Sivanandan
Directed by Mira Nair

Based on a true story and the book of the same name, "My Own Country" tells the story of an East Indian doctor who settles in Johnson City, Tennessee. It starts promisingly enough, with a group of East Indian interns discussing what it's like to practice in America. How they're viewed as "shit" and relegated to the toilet hospitals in the boonies. From there, however, it changes to the story of one of the doctors, Abraham Verghese, who specializes in infectious diseases. It's 1985, and AIDS is spreading from the big cities to the rural areas. Abraham takes AIDS as his personal crusade and is soon well-known for his compassion and non-judgemental treatment. He soon becomes overwhelmed with patients from the surrounding states, which strains his marriage.

Summary by Bill Alward

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