Academy Award-nominated director Matthew Heineman’s (“Cartel Land”, “City of Ghosts”) harrowing new cinema verité documentary, THE FIRST WAVE, takes us into the eye of the storm, a New York City intensive care unit during the worst four months of the COVID-19 crisis. Trailing a relentlessly driven medical team led by the remarkable Dr. Nathalie Dougé and spending countless hours with desperately sick patients and their families, Heineman and his crew are there to document this unfathomable terror inside the hospital, but, also, stories of hope, too, and even moments of pure joy.
What was it like to film during the early days of the pandemic when “safety protocols” were being created on the fly? How did the glint in the eye of an intubated patient provide a clue that an unforgettable relationship would develop between the patient and the medical staff? And in what ways did the events following George Floyd’s murder make the connection between the worlds inside and outside the hospital? Ultimately, as Heineman says, THE FIRST WAVE is a testament to the power of the human spirit.” Prepare to cry.
Now playing in select theaters across the country and https://films.nationalgeographic.com/the-first-wave.
Follow Matthew on twitter @MattHeineman
Follow us on twitter @topdocspod
Hidden Gems:
Sherman’s March
Murderball
”Invisible Beauty” with Bethann Hardison & Frédéric Tcheng
Toronto International Film Festival Lineup Rundown with Thom Powers
”The U.S. and the Holocaust” with Ken Burns & Lynn Novick
”The 1619 Project” with Shoshana Guy
”Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” with Davis Guggenheim
”Secrets of the Elephants” with Lucinda Axelsson
”Dear Mama” with Allen Hughes
”Being Mary Tyler Moore” with James Adolphus
”Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields” with Lana Wilson
”Bobi Wine: The People’s President” with Moses Bwayo & Christopher Sharp
”The Accused: Damned or Devoted?” with Mohammed (”Mo”) Ali Naqvi
”20 Days in Mariupol” with Mstyslav Chernov
”The Deepest Breath” with Laura McGann
”Every Body” with Julie Cohen
”Pamela, a love story” with Ryan White
”The Murdaugh Murders” with Julia Willoughby Nason & Michael Gasparro
”100’ Wave, Season 2” with Nicole McNamara & Joe Lewis
”Judy Blume Forever” with Davina Pardo & Leah Wolchok
”Victim/Suspect” with Nancy Schwartzman & Rae de Leon
”Wild Life” with Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Cinema: A to B
I Finally Watched...
Star Wars Escape Pod
Pod Meets World
Now Playing - The Movie Review Podcast