Upamanyu Biswas
‘Dallas Buyers Club‘ follows the life and exploits of Ron Woodroof, a cowboy with HIV/AIDS who starts a buyers club selling drugs for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Through the club, Ron looks to help other patients like himself alleviate their situation at a time when the HIV virus was poorly understood. Matters get further complicated when Ron faces opposition from the FDA, who hound him for smuggling unapproved drugs into Texas to treat his symptoms. However, after undergoing a torrid treatment under the AZT drug sanctioned by the local hospital, Ron finds the answers to his problem at the doorstep of a clinic doctor based in Mexico named Dr. Vass. While knocking on death’s door, Ron is saved from a quick ending by Vass and his treatment, making him integral to his story.
Dr. Vass is a Fictional Medical Practitioner With Vague Ties to Reality
Dr. Vass in ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ is a fictional character conceived by the film’s scriptwriters, Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack. When the AZT treatment fails to treat his symptoms, having no effect on him and almost killing him, Ron starts looking outside the country for other therapies that might help his situation. In his journey, he happens across Vass, who runs a medical clinic in Mexico. There, Ron is able to start a new treatment prescribed by Vass, a lot of which contains drugs that are unapproved in the US. However, the medicine he provides works wonders on Ron’s health and helps rebuild his immunity from the ground up.
The real-life Ron also sought alternate solutions after reportedly discovering that AZT was not helping him. Instead, he started to suffer side effects from the drug, compelling him to seek answers elsewhere. After researching the HIV virus and the drugs used to treat its symptoms in other countries, Ron started acquiring a cocktail of FDA-unapproved medications and nutritional supplements that helped alleviate his issues. However, no specific individual named Dr. Vass helped him during this process. Instead, the character might be an amalgamation of the various people and physicians Ron consulted while trying to figure out a treatment that worked for him. In the film, Ron smuggles cartons of pills and drugs acquired from Dr. Vass across the border, which he then uses to start a buyers club to help other AIDS patients.
The movie scenes depicting Ron smuggling the drugs taken from Vass’ clinic while wearing disguises are not far from reality, as the actual Ron carried out similar ordeals himself. During the 80s, there was very little information and help available for treating AIDS patients. As such, it was not uncommon for people to seek answers through alternate therapy when the hospitals could not provide a better solution. In ‘Dallas Buyers Club,’ Dr. Vass embodies that avenue for Ron, helping him at his lowest while he battles a deadly disease. His invaluable help makes Ron trust him wholeheartedly in the film, even if he exists outside the legitimate medical fraternity, showcasing the complexity of the industry and its challenges.
Later, while discussing the detrimental effects of the AZT drug, Vass refers Ron to a Lancet Review article that highlights how the drug decreases the health of patients over time. This article closely mirrors a study published in a 1988 issue of the journal. Therefore, the topic of their discussion seems to be rooted, at least superficially, in reality. However, as far as Vass is concerned, his treatments and overall disposition may be linked to Ron’s real-life exploits, but the character remains a fictional addition to the biographical drama.
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