In the Same Breath

The Covid pandemic is the definitive global event of our times. But how it will end up shaping the society of the future is still an open question, which Nanfu Wang addresses from a deeply impressive global and critical perspective. As a Chinese documentary filmmaker living in the United States, she is in a unique position to chart both the outbreak and the reactions of the world leaders, with Xi Jinping and Donald Trump in their respective corners of the arena. Based on massive amounts of data – and her own personal experience – she takes stock of what actually happened in 2020 and where it went wrong. Covid-19 is also a political tragedy, which multiplies all the world’s existing problems – vanity, fake news, conspiracy theories, propaganda and social control – on an unprecedented scale. But In the Same Breath is a film that also dares to looks ahead. Maybe lockdowns and social distancing are just the beginning – at least if we do not learn from what happened. Wang’s shocking but clear-sighted film is the perfect place to start.