76 Days

This documentary was hard to watch. The scenes were both gut-wrenching and frustrating and frustrating. Gut-wrenching for the sickness and human drama; frustrating for the lying about the scope of the crisis. After two years of the pandemic, the communist indoctrination of the doctors towards the patients was both comical and insane. This makes the film a sad black comedy.

That is one of the bravest documentation I have ever seen.The three director have risked their own life to make this documentation. They travelled to the epicenter during the lockdown, wearing full set of protective equipment and stayed one and half month. I have no idea why people always assume the political views when they are facing Chinese directors or watching something about China. But please remember, they do not have any approval from Chinese government. It means that they were facing legal risk too. I believe the only request of a documentation is to reflect the truth, not to introduce political viewpoints.

As a historical document of something that really didn't happen long ago- even if it feels like history- it's great. As a narrative, it doesn't quite manage to be as compelling.

They do really stick to their approach of just showing - in a straightforward and objective manner - the struggles and tribulations of Wuhan's doctors, nurses, and early patients in the first couple of months of the pandemic.

It really nails the opening and closing scenes, there are a couple of people covered here and there that make an impression, and there are some great, haunting shots of the city in lockdown that never cease to look eerie, even though I've literally been out in the streets and on roads that look just as empty in my home city!

The approach does work for creating a feeling of neutrality and realism, but it's not as engaging as a story, with a sense of (possibly intentional) repetition making it hard to focus during certain parts.

But even then, if I only take away the beginning, ending, a few patient stories, and some of the visuals, that's more than enough. It's an admirable effort to show the early days of COVID-19, and while it's not super "entertaining" or emotionally engaging (save for a couple of heartbreaking sequences that I won't spoil- but you will know them if you watch this documentary), it is interesting.

And it also works as a testament and love letter, if you will, to medical professionals in Wuhan and the world over, highlighting the insane sacrifices they've made to save lives and reduce further outbreaks.

Also, if anyone reading this knows a COVID-denier (if any still exist,) please show them the first five minutes of this movie and see if they have the guts to say it looks exaggerated or not that big a deal- it's powerful, potentially attitude-changing stuff.

Wuhan, China was the epicenter of the Covid-19 outbreak, and was locked down for 76 days, while hospital staff struggled with an overload of patients. With all the protective equipment securely taped to them, the staff could hardly be distinguished from one another, if not for their names written on their gowns. Some medical teams from outside Wuhan included their city of origin, and eventually pictures or words of significance are added for individualization.

After the initial rush and chaos, the stories of various patients are followed. The irascible fisherman, the married couple in separate male and female wings, the parents and the newborn baby, etc. Some get discharged, some don't make it. There are also some out-of-hospital scenes of people in lockdown. Despite the fact that some directors have to remain anonymous, the film is not a condemnation of China, but a tribute to the hospital workers, and to a smaller extent, the volunteers.

This is the 1st movie about the pandemic, and is worth seeing.

TIFF 2020 13

76 Days

filmed mostly in a single hospital in the city of Wuhan, the film shows the period of 2 and half months of lockdown in that hospital and what goes there in that time period. Having access to these footages form the very first frontlines against COVID is what makes this film very special and important. It helps us understand and feel the horrors of those days when we didn't know much about the virus and its behaviour. The film makes of more appreciative of what the hospital staff, the doctors, nurses and everyone involved did for us. Thank you so much for saving us all.