The Last Cruise

When I started this I was definitely very interested in the topic and the situation. It just seemed like a doc of halfway developed arcs and never told a full story. I feel like there were so many missed opportunities to learn more about the backstory of the guests that were featured, the crewmembers, the families at home, comparing what was going on on the ship to what was going on in other places, etc. And also - my goodness - what happened to these people? What was it like when they got home? Who are the people that died? Who got sick after the flight? There was so much either left on the table or on the cutting floor. I think this documentary could've been so great and just wasn't developed enough.

This documentary totally missed the mark. It had a real opportunity to show the early days of COVID from the perspective of people truly affected by illness and fear... and while some of the disparity of the haves vs have-nots was on display, it was done in such a way that I think the filmmakers wanted us to feel sorry for the passengers. Granted, I may have done, had they not showcased mostly ignorant, rude, self-absorbed westerners who we know proved during 2020 that they don't care about anyone but themselves. "Who cares if my stylist dies from a virus, I want a haircut!" (You know, THOSE people.)

Also, as an aside - if you suffer from motion sickness, the first first cell phone footage in this documentary may trigger you.

I'm sorry but if you don't know what the virus does or if it can even kill, and these idiots quarantine the passengers and not the crew.

These people have no humanity, they were treated like disposable just to cather to the passenger.

Sickening.

I debated on whether or not I even wanted to watch this. People who take cruise ships are usually either elderly and out of touch or upper middle class to wealthy and entitled, while all of the above utterly ignore the grave impact cruise ships have on carbon emissions and the state of our world's precious oceans. I totally expected the self-absorption that some other reviewers are complaining about. BUT I remember being obsessed with the horror of this particular cruise ship in 2020 so I thought well if I hate it I can just turn it off.

The experience of the poor crew is the core reason you should watch this documentary. To contrast the experience of the travelers to the workers is eye-opening. I can only imagine the sadness and barely controlled rage of these individuals who were put at risk, and I was glad to hear their stories and appalled to see just how many were non-English speaking and non-Western and brown skinned....of course a corporation was treating these human beings as second class citizens, it's always an important reminder to see it full color though.

I think there should have been more coverage on the people who died on this ship, there were 14 victims. Perhaps the director felt it was exploitative but really that should have been shown more attention.

"The Last Cruise" (2021 release; 40 min.) is a documentary about the infamous cruise ship the Diamond Princess, which left the port of Yokohama, Japan on January 20, 2020 (the very day that the WHO officially declared the coronavirus a pandemic), and it wasn't long before a first passenger tested positive, and then another and then another...

Couple of comments: this is the second documentary written-produced-directed by up-and-coming Hannah Olson, who debuted with last year's excellent "Baby God" documentary. Here she retells what one could term "the voyage of the doomed", as the gigantic cruise ship (housing 3000+ guests and staff) becomes an international pariah and immediate symbol for the devastation brought by an unknown and highly contagious new virus. Olson introduces us to two US couples as well as 2 staff (a dishwasher from Indonesia, a pastry chef from I believe India), and we follow their ups (a few) and down (a lot). It makes for fascinating viewing, to be honest. Predictably the footage is mostly derived from the smart phones of the guests and staff. While there are no winners here of course, I felt particularly bad for the staff, who literally go begging in international TV news outlets, begging for their rescue. The footage of the staff cramped together in close quarters, knowing full well that the virus is spreading, is just sickening. Another can't miss moment is that the US guests are watching US TV coverage and you can hear how Trump and his band of jokers keep claiming that "we've got it completely under control". Wow, just wow. What an utter and complete incompetent fool. If I have any complaint about this documentary, it is that at just 40 min. The documentary flashes by in no time, and it seems to me there was plenty of room for additional footage and coverage.

"The Last Cruise" premiered last month at SXSW to immediate buzz, and just recently started showing on HBO. It is now available on HBO On Demand (where I caught it), Amazon Instant Video and other streaming services. If you have any interest in how the world was dealing with COVID-19 in its earliest days, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.