The Lazarus Effect
AIDS has killed more than 20 million people in Africa, but anti-retroviral medication is keeping many others alive, and can so improve a patient’s condition within just a few months that the recoveries have been likened to coming back from the dead. This documentary shows the remarkable “Lazarus effect” on four HIV-positive people in Lusaka, Zambia, including one woman who lost all three of her children to AIDS. Monday, May 24, at 9 p.m., HBO
A Place Out of Time: The Bordentown School
Before the Supreme Court banned public-school segregation in 1954, a respected state-run institution in Bordentown, N.J., educated generations of young African-Americans in academics, trade occupations, and social skills. This documentary traces the 70-year history of the Bordentown School, as well as the larger story of black education in America. Monday, May 24, at 10 p.m., PBS; check local listings
Independent Lens: A Village Called Versailles
Populated by Vietnamese refugees, the New Orleans neighborhood of Versailles was one of the first to recover after Hurricane Katrina—only to then be threatened by a government-mandated landfill of toxic Katrina debris. This documentary chronicles how the community came together in protest, forging a new identity and inspiring other neighborhoods to rebuild. Tuesday, May 25, at 10 p.m., PBS; check local listings
Saving Africa’s Witch Children
There are some 60 million Christians in Nigeria, where native superstition sometimes mixes dangerously with religious extremism. This disturbing film looks at tens of thousands of innocent children who have been branded “witches,” and subsequently subjected to abuse and abandonment. It also follows two men’s efforts to shelter and aid the children. Wednesday, May 26, at 8 p.m., HBO2
The Special Relationship
This third chapter in screenwriter Peter Morgan’s trilogy about former British Prime Minister Tony Blair (after The Deal and The Queen) explores Blair’s relationship with Bill Clinton in the late 1990s. Their bond was shaken by crises both personal (the Monica Lewinsky scandal) and political (the Kosovo conflict). Michael Sheen reprises his portrayal of Blair, while Dennis Quaid plays Clinton; Hope Davis and Helen McCrory are, respectively, Hillary Clinton and Blair’s wife, Cherie. Saturday, May 29, at 9 p.m., HBO
Other highlights
Delta Divers: Diver Down
Cameras follow divers 300 feet below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico to repair an aging underwater oil well. Wednesday, May 26, at 9 p.m., National Geographic Channel
Toughest Military Jobs
A look at dangerous military tasks, including defusing bombs, defending against nerve gas, and handling munitions. Thursday, May 27, at 9 p.m., Military Channel
Jungle: Canopy
Zoologist Charlotte Uhlenbroek explores rain forests around the world. Sunday, May 30, at 6 p.m., BBC America
