76 Days

“76 Days”, which chronicles the chaos at Wuhan hospitals in early 2020, is invaluable as a historical document, and it deserves so much respect for what it reports. As a film, however, it is “just” pretty good, with the rapid-fire anecdotes serving to blend into each other in a way that helps and hurts the film. You feel shellshocked by the end, which is likely the intent, but aside from the feeling of overwhelming sadness (and several anecdotes about a prideful grandpa), few of the actual stories stick. It serves to be an essential work but not 2021’s best documentary.

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