Upamanyu Biswas
‘Dallas Buyers Club‘ is a biographical drama centered on Ron Woodroof, an AIDS patient who starts the Dallas Buyers Club to help sell unapproved AIDS medication to patients like him. Under the direction of Jean-Marc Vallée, the film spans a variety of healthcare establishments, with one particular hospital making a prominent impression out of all—the Dallas Mercy Hospital. It is the first place Ron learns of his AIDS diagnosis, upending his life and forcing him to find a way to survive past the 30 days he has left to live. However, the protagonist also meets a key character in the hospital’s backdrop, Dr. Eve Saks, who is sympathetic to his struggles and tries to help him however she can. Thus, the hospital plays an integral role in the narrative despite Ron’s reservations against the medical fraternity throughout the movie.
Dallas Mercy is a Fictional Hospital With Ties to a Real-Life Establishment
The Dallas Mercy Hospital depicted in ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ is a fictional medical institution conceived by the film’s scriptwriters, Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack. It is a prominent location in the film, recurring throughout the story as Ron Woodroof tries to navigate his challenges with AIDS. Ron starts visiting the place a lot more regularly after becoming a patient of Dr. Eve Saks, a medical practitioner who empathizes with his plight more than the other doctors. However, in real life, Ron was a patient at a different hospital in Dallas, Texas, namely the Parkland Memorial Hospital, a public hospital at 5200 Harry Hines Boulevard. The Dallas Mercy Hospital in the film closely resembles Parkland, albeit fictionalized to an extent.
One of the standout characters at Mercy Hospital is Dr. Eve. She is a fictional character created by the scriptwriters as an amalgamation of the doctors they interviewed during the research process. Yet, despite not being based on any specific individual, she mirrors Ron’s real-life doctor and healthcare confidante, Dr. Steve Pounders. He worked at Parkland Hospital with AIDS patients, working to secure more funding and better treatment for a disease that was difficult to combat during the 1980s. His fictional counterpart in the movie grows closer to Ron over the period of his treatment, helping him not just with his health but also stepping in and offering support in his Dallas Buyers Club venture. This part of the narrative is somewhat linked to reality, as Pounders did the same with Ron in real life.
Although primarily set in Dallas, filming for ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ took place in the state of Louisiana, specifically in the cities of New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The scenes featuring Dallas Mercy were likely filmed at a local establishment in the region, altering the interiors to complete the illusion of a Dallas-based medical institute. As the film dives extensively into the difficulties faced by AIDS patients during the 80s, the reality of their situation is brought to light in a comprehensive and stark manner through the corridors and halls of Dallas Mercy. The establishment also becomes the testing ground for the AZT drug in the film, prompting Ron to embark on his quest to find his own form of treatment via unapproved drugs. Therefore, its narrative prominence is unignorable, even if it remains a fictional place.
Read More: Dallas Buyers Club: Is Dr Vass Based on a Real Doctor?
