76 Days – A Heartbreaking Yet Impactful Piece of Art

The coronavirus pandemic is one of the most defining events of 2020. Unimaginable numbers of cases and an exceedingly high death toll have left many families with an empty chair at their dinner tables. The virus was first identified in the city of Wuhan in the Hubei province of the People’s Republic of China. On January 23rd, the Chinese government mandated a full lockdown of the city and surrounding areas in an effort to contain the virus. 76 Days documents the 76 days of that lockdown by focusing on several Wuhan hospitals, the doctors & nurses treating sick patients, and some of the patients themselves. And it is one of the best documentaries of 2020.

76 Days does not ease the viewer into the experience at all. It begins by showing a woman howling in sorrow because she has just learned her father has died from what we now know to be the coronavirus. From there, members of the hospital staff are introduced as they attempt to prepare for the arrival of sick patients. Their frustrations are evident when trying to keep order, even as the patients are equally frustrated by having to wait outside in the cold prior to admittance to make sure everything is ready for them in the hospital.

Over the course of the film, several patients receive strong focus. An old man with dementia regularly causes chaos for the staff because he wanders around the halls, complains about not being able to leave, refuses to sleep, and eventually cries that he is just going to die anyway. A young woman delivers a baby girl, but, because the mother has coronavirus, the baby must be taken to a different hospital away from both her parents. An old woman fights hard to maintain her strength, but is unable to keep up the fight and must remain sedated.

Several of the nurses also receive a major focus. One nurse spends a lot of time with the old woman, letting her hold and squeeze his hand in comfort. He visits her after her sedation to check on her, worrying for her comfort and safety all the while. Another nurse is frequently exasperated because the old man with dementia refuses to follow instructions, yet she also does not give up him and encourages him to fight hard so he can go home to his children and grandchildren. And most telling of all, there is a nurse who is shown disinfecting the valuables of patients who have died, as well as contacting the families of the deceased to let them know of the loss and when they may collect the deceased’s belongings and death certificate. Her job is emotionally taxing, but it is a necessary evil under the circumstances.

While 76 Days may sound like nothing but sorrow and misery, there is also hope and positivity in it. The relationships that form between the hospital staff and the patients are quite poignant at several moments. Some of the patients recover and are able to return home with their families. The newborn girl is shown as being very healthy and happy while being tended by the nurses in the hopes that she may be reunited with her parents at the end of the lockdown. And when the lockdown does end, there is a sense of relief paired with a strong grief for the departed.

Most viewers have no idea what things are like in such drastic situations. But 76 Days provides a strong and sharp window into the struggles of life for hospital staff and patients in the epicenter of the outbreak at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic. It knows that sometimes all you need to do to make an impactful piece of art is simply point a camera at a subject and let life play out. And it absolutely succeeds.

still courtesy of MTV Documentary Films

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Guest Writer