76 Days

Wuhan, January 23, 2020. The lockdown will last 76 days. While the streets of the metropolis remain empty of its 11 million inhabitants, there’s a hive of activity in one of the city’s hospitals: a woman asks in vain to be allowed to say goodbye to her father; a couple is not allowed to pick up their new-born baby; a nurse has to deal with a deceased person’s personal belongings and a demented man finally wants get home. In 76 DAYS, the filmmakers Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and a colleague, who wishes to remain anonymous, look over the shoulders of the hospital staff, who are as challenged as they are calm and solidary during a phase of absolute chaos. The result is an unadorned yet sensitive, poetic and stirring documentary about human resilience in the face of a pandemic threat.