Five Days at Memorial (2022) User Reviews

You never think you are in fiction land

[ikanboy · 8/10 · 3 September 2022]

Dark and brilliant docudrama, or is it dramadocu, that takes a good hard look at how humans fare in crisis, showing the best of us and the worst, but most importantly showing our prismatic human reaction to inevitable death. There is no editorializing here, which makes it so profound. Depending on your moral ground you'll pick your own heroes and villains, and wonder what you might have done.

I like the fact that they keep out of politics and moralizing and let the audience makes it's own decisions.

The acting is superb, the dialog is real, the Direction doesn't flinch, and a for sure Emmy winner.

Heart wrenching

[UrbanElysium · 9/10 · 9 September 2022]

This really is mind blowing...at same time it is exactly what I'd expect it to be.

Even tho I knew what to expect it was still a very hard watch, and I've done so over a month.

(I went in cold, no searching internet or reading reviews)

I remember Katrina, the stories coming out about NO, the dome, the utter 'What the serious *#:@ is happening here?'...I'm very surprised it took THIS long to make something like this- so very looong over due!!!

I know it's dramatized but at same time...it's not. This is just a 10% slice of that horror, just one story. I think it did an excellent job of trying to convey the desolation of that whole horrific BLIGHT (thank you bush 😠) in US history. It seems to sum up the rawness of dealing with Katrina. I thought there was enough real footage shown in conjunction to Memorial.

It's sad that it ever came to these decisions but if one thinks about all the violence that happened in NO post Katrina, I give the doctors/nurses kudos for helping ANY patient be rescued, AND give a peaceful end of life!

If you watch this and you are too young to remb or not a us citizen, then use this as a kind of guide of one of the worst disasters to be fall US- and I mean from EVERY perspective!

People were at fault but it sure wasn't the doctors.

[cscott2331 · 9/10 · 19 September 2022]

Let's get this straight, there are people to blame here. But the doctors who were left to FEND FOR THEMSELVES and their patients are not them. There's NO evacuation plan, are you kidding me. So you've got people on the board and CEO's making millions, where were they in on these charges?? Oh that's right they bailed before the levees broke. They knew for years their hospital could easily flood. They did NOTHING! The government did NOTHING! They were stranded, scared and overwhelmed to say the least.

So you've got hundreds of patients, hundred degree building, no food, no meds, no water, no way of getting out for some of them. Doctors who've had no sleep for 5 days and trying to be responsible for everyone. Have a helipad with hundreds of steps through the hospital and stairs to reach it. Yes there are many to blame but is sure as heck wasn't one single doctor. When they're told you have 12 hours to evactuate everyone, still no one to help move patients that weigh 500lbs. Instead of yelling to get them out he'll them!! They offered ZERO help they just barked orders. What were they supposed to do?? Leave the patients alone to die of starvation in the next week that followed?? Just imagine that for a minute. Let's get one thing straight. It's inhumane to let your pets suffere but against the law to afford your loved ones the same humane death. They're not allowed any say in their last days, they're not allowed to ease suffering, they're allowed no grace or dignity in their death. People who think the doctors straight up murdered people need a good swift kick in the face. Get over yourself, I'd sure like to see how you hollier than thou would've handled this situation. My guess is you'd have been gone before the first drop of rain. If by chance you were there when the levees broke you'd have clawed your way to that first chopper or that first boat! And you know it! This was a tragedy all around and one that people have to remember and have nightmares about the rest of their lives! There is nothing anyone could've done any differently... Except generators in the middle of the building and evacuation plan that was much needed and a government who paid attention and helped! This does not fall on one doctor not at all and it sure isn't a race thing. Had they punished the good doctors who stayed behind you can bet none would ever stay again. Who could blame them? Not me. Is it sad? Absolutely! I can't imagine how scared everyone must've been. And how heartbreaking it was to have NO OPTIONS. They did their job to the best of their ability with what they had. Period! They stayed when everyone else fled. Period! They saved hundreds. Period! Take the ones doing the accusing and lock them in a hospital for 5 days with no air and no provisions let's see how they feel about this. And the doctors and nurses taking the prosecution's side, where was their problem solving? What did they do the last day to help? Did they have an alternative for the patients, THEIR patients that they left behind?? Seems that answer is a resounding no!

Nauseating

[HelloBlockbuster · 10/10 · 13 September 2022]

I didn't fully comprehend the human suffering or issues at hand back in 2005, in part to being in my early 20s and also slightly jaded from being in the military-where we always help and leaving people is unfathomable. Watching this show, well... I've had to watch in bite size pieces. It literally nauseates me and gives me such anxiety.

The despair. The decisions being made. The decisions being made because of the despair. It was a no win situation. I can't imagine having to decide between my life, another's life, whether leaving them behind is the answer, or helping them go quicker to ease pain and suffering. It really puts the Hippocratic oath to test-first do no harm, right? Very subjective. If the harm is that the patient will be left behind to die, then helping to end that suffering is the right choice, right? But they could survive, we don't know if more help will come tomorrow once we evacuate, right? Is there a right? Is there a wrong? The only wrong during the aftermath of Katrina, was doing nothing. And we saw a whole lot of that, as we see here in this docuseries.

I can't imagine. I just can't.

The loss of the pets; first, I don't comprehend how there were pets in a hospital in the first place. All I know? If it came to leaving my best friend (4 legs) to fend for herself, putting her down, or staying with her to surely die myself... I know which I'd chose-the one I could live with, no matter how short that would make my own life.

I'm so sorry to those who lost loved ones, who had to witness such despair, or make such gut wrenching decisions. Perseverance isn't for the faint of heart.

This show, sucks.

Yep

[cmille55 · 9/10 · 13 August 2022]

Looks a lot like the way I remember it. The New Orleans part, not the hospital part. My concern are for those viewers who lived it day by day. Trauma can be an insidious thing. Let's hope some don't re-experience it.

Great start, loses a lot of steam halfway through

[Peanutman2020 · 7/10 · 16 September 2022]

The first 5 episodes are dedicated to the actual events at the hospital and those ones are great. First episode is intense; the rest are a bit slower in nature but are a very interesting watch. It's great to see how everything went down when the hurricane hit.

The last 3 episodes are dedicated to the aftermath of everything, from the hospital to the decisions made at the hospital. These are not bad necessarily, but they move at a sluggish pace and are ultimately not even half as interesting as the hospital episodes.

I really feel like they could have shortened the first 5 hospital episodes into 4, and the last 3 aftermath episodes into 2 for a total of 6 thought out episodes. It really starts to repeat itself at those points, but it is still a fine watch, especially if you are particularly interested in hurricane Katrina.

I LIVED IT!!!

[mwillis-92229 · 10/10 · 20 August 2022]

It is spot on and I give it a 10+. The accent I noticed first was a true blue "from down the bayou" cajun". The acting is perfect and realistic to just a few of the tragic consequences of corporate greed.

A phenomenal recount of Katrina and those on the front line

[latoronto · 12 August 2022]

First off, Cherry and Vera are fantastic in this. After the pandemic, watching this story gives me chills. Such a good story to be told. Highly recommend.

Somewhat Too Nuanced For Its Own Good

[zkonedog · 6/10 · 22 September 2022]

A faithful-to-the-book adaptation like "5 Days at Memorial" follows reality very closely and takes an extremely nuanced look at the events at Memorial Hospital in New Orleans during and immediately after Hurricane Katrina. While the "shades of grey" approach is commendable in certain aspects (it is never preachy or polarizing), TV series rely on conflict--and that is where "Memorial" stumbles noticeably.

For a very basic overview, this 8-episode miniseries focuses on the doctors and patients feeling the effects of Katrina during that fateful 5-day span. Ostensibly, Dr. Anna Pou (Vera Farmiga) is given the most airtime, as she struggles with morality-leaden decisions with no electricity, intense heat, flooding, and governmental orders that ultimately lead to more chaos rather than less. Fellow doctors King (Cornelius Smith Jr.) and Baltz (Robert Pine) are also showcased, while lead emergency commander Susan Mulderick (Cherry Jones) realizes there is no plan in place for what the hospital is facing.

As the series shifts into its final 2-3 episodes, investigators Butch Schafer (Michael Gaston) & Virginia Rider (Molly Hager) take center stage in trying to determine whether homicide was committed at Memorial and legal action is necessary.

It is abundantly clear that showrunners Carlton Cuse & John Ridley want to tell an even-keel story here. The events are grounded in real-life scenarios & timelines, while the overriding theme of the whole piece is essentially "were the deaths at Memorial criminal homicide or a result of the horrific conditions?". They really build up both sides of those arguments in equal measure.

The problem, of course, is that every time a dramatic moment is needed--when the camera pans in and the music intensifies--it is almost certainly a scene in which someone is blaming someone else. So, viewers are left with a show that takes no firm position but then (understandably) has to service dramatic material from something. I found this to be rather jarring and difficult to reconcile.

Fortunately, the acting here is solid enough--and the overall production crisp enough--to make it a compelling watch even if it is thematically frustrating. Especially entertaining is a Louisiana-accented Gaston absolutely stealing the show down the stretch run of episodes.

In short, I think "Five Days at Memorial" suffers from what I call a "Sully problem". Remember that Tom Hanks movie about the real-life Sullenberger who landed the plane in the Hudson River? I don't think there were too many people who wanted Sully behind bars for negligence, but that was the angle the film had to take to create drama. A similar situation plays out here: the first 3-4 episodes are actually so good at portraying the deteriorating, confusing, squalid conditions at Memorial that it is difficult for viewers to ever really turn on the doctors in any way.

final 3 episodes bring it all together

[davidantzelevitch · 7/10 · 27 September 2022]

Originally, I stopped at episode 5 because that was the fifth and final day at memorial hospital. Hence the title, I thought the series was over! But then I realized there were three more episodes. Glad I watched. The final 3 covered the aftermath, particularly the ethical questions and legal battles over how to handle patients that cannot be saved in a natural disaster. I believe doctor Poe made the wrong choice. But under the circumstances maybe it seemed like the right choice. Either way it made for a suspenseful final 3 episodes of legal maneuvering, where doctor Poe's freedom was on the line.

Don't Recommend Binge Watching the First Four Episodes

[jdedge-69635 · 9/10 · 22 August 2022]

You might binge watch this, but the story is very intense and you really need a break after an episode. I watched the first two together and the others separately. My comments are only on these first four. The acting is excellent. The Direction is excellent. The story is heartbreaking. Local authority is unprepared and non existent. The lack of local, state and federal assistance is criminal. A hard lesson that hopefully improved every hospital emergency plan as well as individual, family, corporate, local, state and federal emergency plans dealing with any disaster. You feel drained after watching each of the first four episodes.

devolution is the new orange

[howboutthisone_huh · 6/10 · 9 September 2022]

Not familiar with the actual circumstances and 2D often is far from 3D at times but considering the story presented is factual then at first it was a riveting story. Couldn't stop watching but then who can't relate. Who hasn't been at some point in their life facing dangerous weather, let alone killer weather, or some other natural event that reminds us how fragile we all are. But, then the story devolved from surviving difficult events into another woke story and then just got worse min by min. Was this a conspiracy as alleged by one character, or was this about people abandoned by an inept system. Putting that aside, what is 'humane'. We put down animals as being humane but then call it something else when it involves people. Why is that? Assuming the story is factual, would it have been humane just to abandon these people as the producers tell it. Leave very sick people with no water, no food, no way to counter the extremely hot and humid conditions to fend for themselves because that's what the producers want you to think, but in a non ham handed way of course. They start with a story about a natural disaster and how people are dealing with that and then turn the story around to make it out to be conspiracy to commit murder. They make a point of showing how one morbid obese patient is saved but another is not and it never really comes out why. Nor to they explain why authorities ordered the evacuation of the bldg with threats of physical removal but no plan to evacuate all the patients.

The writing is very inconsistent. Just sort of hop scotches over any logic at many points like it wasn't important. And throughout there are absences of commonsense like if they were so short of water and food why didn't they get the helicopters to bring it in while they were evacuating the bldg. There's a ton of details like that seem to be left out or interpreted artistically to be almost untrue. And what happened to all the people who took refuge at the hospital. What happened to them. It's not a documentary but if you go to so much trouble to recreate the story then why take it for a spin and make it political. Was there an actual conspiracy or was it that some people just thought it was a conspiracy. Could these patients have been saved, and who is to blame that they weren't. Could this happen somewhere else, some other event. If there is a conspiracy, it lies with the producers who wanted to tell the story with a certain spin but couldn't start that way because no one would watch. So they draw you in with an interesting story of people dealing with a disaster and then devolve it into something else without ever presenting anything to back up their political point of view of the world. Another media example of taking a good story and then devolving into another divisive issue we can all argue about.

All the wrong questions asked and not once the only one that matters

[thomasschraml · 4/10 · 18 September 2022]

Quite interesting at the start to see how fast it can go between civilization and hell. But the main topic of the 45 dead was terribly examined. Not once was the question asked whether the patients would have been alive when they were found 10 days after the evacuation and how can they evacuate and not provide for the evacuation of everyone and what would have happened to those left behind? Instead of that we were tortured for hours with the investigators building a case of what we all knew already happened and because all the wrong and none of the right questions are asked the show falls terribly short elaborating the deeper ethical questions.

Well done mini-series for a very tragic event

[rkeilitz-19-537915 · 10/10 · 17 August 2022]

Chronicling the impact of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath on a hospital and it's city. When the floodwaters rise, power fails and heat soars, exhausted caregivers at a New Orleans hospital are forced to make decisions that will follow them for years to come.

The cast was exceptional as was the cinematography and story line. In some of the scenes I felt like I was in the hospital feeling the stress and pain of the both the patients,caregivers and the medical staff.

Excellent but gut wrenching and heartbreaking to watch

[rhi1980 · 10/10 · 22 August 2022]

Firstly, want to say that I am utterly bemused by the reviews saying that the acting is bad. It isn't, it's fantastic from everyone, particularly from Vera Farmiga and Cherry Jones. (One person gave it a rating of 1 because they didn't like the accents lol)

4 episodes in and the recreation of the conditions have been done so well you can almost smell how bad it must have smelled and you feel uncomfortable along with the characters.

It is heartbreaking to see the conditions people were left in and the desperate efforts of the care givers as the situation worsened. Extremely well written and directed and the inter-cut scenes of real footage only add to the horror. As I said above, the acting is top level, the weight of responsibility on these actors to realistically convey the desperation was heavy and everyone involved delivers. I hope the show runners and the actors are recognised come award season.

Almost Perfect

[billcurry-1 · 16 September 2022]

I'm from New Orleans, was born in that hospital, when it was Baptist. My grandfather died there and I know a guy who worked there. The film was perfect, in terms of acting, everything. I did find one probable flaw that made me give it a 9/10. Emmett Everette had oxygen tubes to his nostrils the whole time. Those are usually hooked to an electrical device that pumps in supplemental oxygen. But there was no electricity. Could have been bottled oxygen, but the supply room was under water. And nobody keeps those tubes in tf he or she isn't getting oxygen. A small flaw, so I'd say 9.9/10. One last thing: That "Butch" character, if real, should be made to live on the LA coastline with no evacuation allowed. Then he might learn how hurricanes can mess with your mind.

Riveting

[jqjmr · 7/10 · 11 November 2022]

If you liked this series, read the book. The book is more in depth than the movie. I was a little disappointed in the movie, most likely because I had already read the book. If you live in New Orleans or any Gulf coast towns, you have to be prepared for hurricanes. I went through Hurricane Katrina, also and had no idea of what New Orleans was dealing with. This movie and the book are devastating. But in the real world, you have to make terrible decisions at a time that everyone is already dealing with enormous problems that came with heartbreaking decisions. I can only hope that the people who were on duty at Memorial can accept the decisions that were made that day under tremendous stress and circumstances. And for the families who lost their loved ones.

I'm an RN and this is real ! Know the truth

[kcitraro · 10/10 · 15 October 2022]

This series shows exactly what happened during Katrina and the epic failures of our government. I recall watching this on the news every day. I wondered why supplies couldn't be dropped on the roof. Why No one ever did, this shows exactly what staff goes through to help others. Then receive complete judgement and criticism after you gave everything you had. Hug your nurse, doctor or caregiver and thank them every chance you get. It's this bad at times of emergencies elsewhere. It's rough somedays.

This series had me in tears non stop. It was beyond awful for these people.

Bravo to director and crew on this spot on portrayal of healthcare workers. I'm usually critical of how wrong things are filmed. This was FLAWLESS!! I'm a nurse. I felt like I was there. Well done!

Enjoyable watch - eye opening

[jdkco · 7/10 · 26 September 2022]

This was a wonderful production and account of the impact hurricane Katrina had on New Orleans. Never realised before watching this how bad it was.

The staff at the hospital were in a horrendous unimaginable position. Time was running out. Conditions appalling.

Great cast and acting. Enjoyed to connections with the characters and patients - man that ultimately became victims of Katrina.

It's easy to assume you would know how to behave in a situation like this but it's not until you are faced with it, or something similar that you can judge.

Thought the account and timeline were spot on, location and setup felt real.

Frustrating yet compelling

[traceytak · 8/10 · 9 February 2023]

This series shows how those in Memorial hospital faced such terrible conditions and decisions and how bad choices were made during hurricane Katrina. It frustrated me to see the coastguard going in to pick up people and yet when the next one came no one thought to bring provisions like food and water and medications needed for those still there. The lack of human compassion is evident as is the procrastination. Even the woman in charge of the hospital is clueless and makes very bad decisions. It is an insight into how bad aid is given when it happens on the US doorstep and how truly inhumane they can be. Sad to watch.

I thought it was going to be a 9

[sweetcypress777 · 7/10 · 12 September 2022]

The first five episodes were really excellent and heart wrenching - except for this background subplot of all these "mysterious" deaths. It's hard to tell what may have happened because the early testimony present in this series paints the scene that people were just spreading ridiculous rumors that had no basis in fact. The character development is also all over the place painting some with disturbing behavior and then giving that same character a pass later with a much more sympathetic light. Then for another character it would be opposite. Some undertones that felt very racist and left me uneasy.

Barely any responsibility or much-earned blame was placed on the incompetent inaction of FEMA and then President Herbert Walker Bush. People have been praising keeping politics out of it. Politics have NOTHING to do with whether or not people are unfit for the office they inhabit. And the actions of our government, the city of New Orleans, the State of Louisiana and even the American hospital systems, in this case with zero emergency flood planning and an outdated helipad - MY GOD the unfitness is staggering!

I think what is especially frightening is that this pandemic has shown that these systems are just as corrupt and inept, if not worse 15 years later! And the people in charge seem even less capable of making intelligent and pragmatic decisions for the health and safety of our country. You can't just vote blue no matter who or red till you're dead. These offices need to be filled with compassionate, intelligent, pragmatic problem-solvers before S really HTF.

So this horrific and vital cautionary tale, in which the suffering of the people of New Orleans and the incompetence of the response is finally given some justice, is overshadowed by an investigation buoyed by the unsubstantiated hearsay of people this docuseries sets up as having no credibility and spreading the most inflammatory and frightening gossip. It was a disappointing misstep to put so much weight into this investigation that has no closure and can't even be substantiated and not have more commentary on the horrific, horrific incompetence that caused and exacerbated all that suffering and loss of life from corporate at tenet, to life care, all the way up to the former President. Who I hope watches this and it haunts him.

Maybe they wrap it up in a satisfying way but from other comments I doubt it. I'll edit my comments if they do.

so intenseeee . Loving it already

[nicholasbullock-10959 · 10/10 · 12 August 2022]

Wow just based off the first episode this show got me hooked already! So intense being this really happened. Vera Fermiga as the lead is amazing, per usual! Cherry jones is amazing also 💕 loving it already.

Frustrating and flawed

[cadwallon1969 · 6/10 · 23 January 2023]

The scenes in the hospital during and following the hurricane were compelling - but the witch-hunt and blame shifting afterwards was frustrating.

I had NO sympathy for the investigators who were plainly directed by Louisiana authorities to try and shift blame somewhere. Anywhere.

The constantly "thanking God" by Dr Pou - despite god being equally responsible for the hurricane! The corruption and stupidity of a privatised health system which has profits as it's major motive.

But the question about the final acts of medical staff? Was it euthanasia or just "making them comfortable"?

Who cares?

They had a broader responsibility to stopping the suffering of patients who couldn't and WOULDN'T be evacuated in time. Dying alone from thirst, starvation, heat and lack of medical care.

A damning appraisal of a broken system with mind blowing failures of authorities.

A mix of strengths and weaknesses, overall frustrating

[rabbitmoon · 5/10 · 6 September 2022]

There are some clear pros here - a fascinating true-life crisis, some great performances, and a build-up of tension. In those respects, along with the relative foreboding chaos and problem solving, it reminded me a little of the much superior Chernobyl.

But from an engagement perspective, it felt quite weak. So many characters are set up and developed who have no resolution. Eg the corporate helper guy who gets involved and then is just dropped. Vera narrates over the first episode, but then becomes a background character (and the narration is dropped). Non-linear editing is employed where different moments are intercut, which often becomes completely confusing and inconsistent. It ends in quite a downbeat way without any final title cards explaining the overall stats of what happened (lives lost, saved, what happened to people). With better writing and story dynamics it could have been SO much more engaging and fulfilling, building more emotional connection rather than just relying on a blanket of consistent chaos. I appreciate its trying hard to be docu-style and refrain from artifice, but in the end it felt like thin disaster-porn stretched out across five episodes. It was interesting and fascinating at times, but the shifting focus and lack of overall story arcs left me feeling quite distant.

Very Well Done, and Sadly - Very True!

[Maxax777 · 10/10 · 29 August 2022]

This is very well done - and as my title said, unfortunately, it's very true. This is a true story - the people aren't just characters - these were the real people involved - it's a sad, sad look at a terrible event. Hurricane Katrina took everyone by surprise - but the delayed, and delayed, and delayed response by our emergency crews, and especially the Federal Government created an absolute catastrophe. This is a well done, true story of only one such horrific event in the midst of Hurricane Katrina. Now, I'll just ramble on for a while until I hit the mandatory 600 characters for a review. We all know, the longer the review is, the better it is!