"The Virus That Shook The World" (2021 release; 2 parts totaling 167 min.) brings a global perspective of the ravage and damage, both in physical terms and in emotional terms, caused by the global pandemic known as the coronavirus that spread like a fire around the globe in 2020. The documentary looks at its (still not clear) origins in Wuhan, PRC, and how it then, at first tentatively, then rapidly and ultimately unstoppably, spread around the globe, The film makers try to stay away from the political side of things, and instead focus on personal experiences as lived by people both nearby and in far flung places. Among others, we get to know a first responder in London, a struggling artist in India, and a tribal leader in remote Brazil.
Couple of comments: this is the latest from veteran documentary director James Bluemel. Please note: do not confuse this documentary from the very similarly titled UK documentary called "Outbreak: The Virus That Shook the World", which premiered a few months before this one, and covers the very same topic. As I mentioned, this tries to shy away from all politics, but nevertheless you can easily sense the utter incompetence if not brazen recklessness or worse from Brazil's president Bolsonaro, India's prime minister Modi, and yes, our very own Donald "One day--it's like a miracle--it will disappear" Trump. It will takes years to sort out the true human cost of this pandemic, which on top of the hundred thousands of deaths, also has taken a high toll on the mental wellbeing in much of the world. This documentary works best when we get footage from these unfamiliar (and typically far flung) places like that tribal area in remote Brazil or what life is really like for that struggling artist in India. Towards the end of this documentary, we hear from a nurse in England, lamenting that "I've lost my ability to smile" as we are told it is December 31, 2020 and that nurse (and we) are all too ready to leave 2020 behind us...
"The Virus That Shook The World" premiered this week on PBS as part of its long-running Frontline franchise and is now available on PBS On Demand, Amazon Instant Video, and other streaming services (the DVD/Blu-ray will follow in a few months). This is not the first, and surely not the last, documentary that examines what REALLY did happen during this terrible pandemic. If you have any interest in the coronavirus, regardless of your politics, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.
Couple of comments: this is the latest from veteran documentary director James Bluemel. Please note: do not confuse this documentary from the very similarly titled UK documentary called "Outbreak: The Virus That Shook the World", which premiered a few months before this one, and covers the very same topic. As I mentioned, this tries to shy away from all politics, but nevertheless you can easily sense the utter incompetence if not brazen recklessness or worse from Brazil's president Bolsonaro, India's prime minister Modi, and yes, our very own Donald "One day--it's like a miracle--it will disappear" Trump. It will takes years to sort out the true human cost of this pandemic, which on top of the hundred thousands of deaths, also has taken a high toll on the mental wellbeing in much of the world. This documentary works best when we get footage from these unfamiliar (and typically far flung) places like that tribal area in remote Brazil or what life is really like for that struggling artist in India. Towards the end of this documentary, we hear from a nurse in England, lamenting that "I've lost my ability to smile" as we are told it is December 31, 2020 and that nurse (and we) are all too ready to leave 2020 behind us...
"The Virus That Shook The World" premiered this week on PBS as part of its long-running Frontline franchise and is now available on PBS On Demand, Amazon Instant Video, and other streaming services (the DVD/Blu-ray will follow in a few months). This is not the first, and surely not the last, documentary that examines what REALLY did happen during this terrible pandemic. If you have any interest in the coronavirus, regardless of your politics, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.
