HBO’s new documentary, Savior Complex, is raising a lot of controversy. The docuseries follows the missionary work of Renee Bach, a white American carrying out voluntary work in Uganda. However, despite not being qualified to carry out medical procedures, Renee began treating the sick African children herself. Her charity work resulted in many unprecedented deaths of many children.
First-world countries aiding third-world nations has been a long-running practice since colonial times. However, such voluntary work often involves complexities in the name of humanism and religion. The HBO docuseries has set out to explore these issues in detail with the story of Renee Bach and her missionary agenda.
Everything we know about Savior Complex
Renee’s treatment resulted in the death of 105 children
HBO’s official synopsis for the series summarises it as,
“savior Complex is a three-part HBO Documentary series examining missionary work in Uganda, where an American is accused of causing the death of vulnerable Ugandan children by dangerously treating them despite having no medical training.”
Savior Complex will address broad issues like white saviorism, ethics of foreign aid, and missionary work done in the name of humanitarian and religious ideals. The docuseries consists of interviews with Bach, her accusers, lawyers, activists, and victims who are seeking to hold her accountable for the damage she had done.
Exploring the trailer
HBO has already released a trailer for the forthcoming documentary Savior Complex. The trailer gives us a glimpse of the multiple complex and conflicting perspectives that intertwine the story of Bach and her mission. In an interview clip, Renee Bach offers her view regarding her work. She is seen saying,
“I think some of the most wild accusations that were made about me is that I killed 800 children, I was medically experimenting on children. Compared to Adolf Hitler, assumed to be part of the KKK … It’s kinda like, where to begin, you know?”
The interview is interspaced with shots of young Ugandan children from the southeastern village of Jinja, where Bach launched her unregistered pediatric health facility, which she named Serving His Children.
Bach insists that she was doing God’s work and did not kill the children. However, hers is not the only point of view that the docuseries presents. A contrasting perspective comes from the people closely associated with her work and those who became victims of her practice. Renee Bach was called the Angel of Death on social media and condemned and denounced by the community for her malpractice.
Release date and where to watch it
HBO’s three-part documentary series is set to premiere on September 26, 2023. It can be exclusively watched on the HBO Max streaming platform.
The series will shed light on Renee Bach’s unethical practice and bring us perspectives from all the stakeholders involved in the whole issue.
