76 Days is a raw and intimate documentary capturing the events in Wuhan during the COVID-19 first lockdown, especially the struggles of frontline medical professionals and patients. The directors' Hao Wu and Weixi Chan mirror what happened in Wuhan after the city (which is believed to be the source of the virus) was locked from the rest of the world to manage what was then an unidentified plague.
The opening of 76 Days brings a sci-fi, zombie attack feeling. We see hospital workers covered up in PPE, and the only visible sections of their bodies are their eyes behind the foggy goggles. They are trying to help every patient as many more are desperately trying to enter the health facility. The workers are overwhelmed and overworked.
Another scene shows a sobbing daughter in PPE who wants to see her dying father but the staff restrain her. Later, she follows her father’s body and watches it being driven away. She crumples on the road, heartbroken by the loss of her father. That is just one example of the harrowing experience in Wuhan in January 2020 and the journey into the unknown.
Wuhan, the ground zero of the COVID-19 outbreak, with a population of 11 million people, went into lockdown on January 23 and lasted for 76 days. The film focuses on the patients and the medical workers in a race to survive. The ICU is full of infected people, and the overwhelmed medical doctors run up and down the wards.
The film also offers a glimpse into the secretive Chinese state, and the co-director Hao Wu shares his views on why Chinese officials lied to the whole world about the pandemic's spread. The viewers see the chaos, trauma, the storm that had taken over Wuhan, the fear of the unknown, and the horrific reality. Watch the touching documentary to get a glimpse of what went down in Wuhan in the first days of the pandemic.
Can this film be used in a library education program?
76 Days can be used as a library education program about COVID-19 and how the deadly virus turned lives around. It can be used in health and history education programs in schools and universities.
What kind of film collection would this title be suitable for?
76 Days would fit in a film collection for global pandemics and a historical collection that narrates stories of when humankind faced medical devastation. Medical professors should consider requesting this title for their academic library.
Would this film be suitable for a public screening?
Yes, 76 Days is a vital film to understanding the epitome of the deadly virus that brought global economies to their knees and can be watched by a large audience. A public screening would be the best for that, making people further enjoy the freedom we have now after the pandemic.