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The First Wavedocumentary

The First Wave

2021

Matthew Heineman

Documentary

6.3

Documentary A documentary following nurses, doctors, and administrators as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

	Media	Author	Review
		Sheri Linden The Hollywood Reporter	"[An] intensely intimate documentary (...) A breathtaking testament to the fight to live, the calling to heal, and the power of human connection."
		Todd Gilchrist The Wrap	"[It] understands the way that individuals frequently can only process events in personal terms and amplifies that understanding in order to create a broader portrait of loss"
		David Ehrlich IndieWire	"'The First Wave' is valuable because of its tear-jerking tendencies, not in spite of them (you will cry every single time someone pulls out an iPad)."
		Pete Hammond Deadline	"Heineman doesn’t sugarcoat what was going on but smartly gives us a close-up view through the eyes of a few people who were right at the center"
		Tomris Laffly Variety	"At times, it is impossible not to ponder whether 'The First Wave' is a little too much too soon (...) But what’s undeniable is the immeasurable journalistic value and importance of 'The First Wave.'"
		Allan Hunter Screendaily	"A film that acknowledges the bigger issues and wider truths of the pandemic, especially in the inequalities it exposes and reinforce (...) An often upsetting film that will leave most viewers in a puddle of spent emotion"
		Cath Clarke The Guardian	"Heineman’s camera is a gentle presence, in the room with people at the worst moment of their lives – and they open up to it (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Teo Bugbee The New York Times	"The film succeeds in presenting an on-the-ground view of what it felt like to be inside a hospital in the spring of 2020"
		Chris Barsanti Slant	"With its unrelenting tightrope pacing, 'The First Wave' can make for harrowing viewing (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"
		Roxana Hadadi Los Angeles Times	"'The First Wave' unflinchingly documents the contrasting emotions and tumultuous realities of one of the greatest tragedies in American history"
		Jared Mobarak The Film Stage	"This film portrays the perseverance of a community ravaged beyond imagination whether those on ventilators, those assisting them, or those forced to wait"

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The First Wavedocumentary

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