In the Same Breath (2021)
86%RT Audience Score: 75%
Awards & Nominations: 2 wins & 9 nominations
Gripping and clear-eyed, In the Same Breath captures history as it’s being written — and governmental failures as they amplify worldwide tragedy.
In the Same Breath is a documentary that will make you feel like you’ve been punched in the gut, but in a good way. Wait, that doesn’t sound right. What we mean is that it’s a powerful and emotional film that sheds light on the early days of the pandemic and the political and social factors that contributed to its spread. Director Nanfu Wang does an incredible job of weaving together personal stories of loss and trauma with a larger narrative about the global response to the virus. It’s a must-watch for anyone who wants to understand the impact of Covid-19 on our world. Plus, you’ll probably cry a little bit, so make sure you have some tissues handy.
Production Company(ies)
K&SFilms, El Deseo Televisión Federal
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
2021
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Aug 18, 2021
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
documentary, coronavirus, pandemic, China, United States, misinformation, public health, politics, personal approach, Nanfu Wang, Christopher Clements, Carolyn Hepburn, Sara Rodriguez, Jialing Zhang, reviewed by Brian Lowry, Manohla Dargis, Justin Chang, Robert Daniels, Ed Gonzalez, Sheri Flanders, Ema Sasic, Christopher Cross, Ezequiel Boetti, directed by Nanfu Wang, produced by Christopher Clements, Carolyn Hepburn, Sara Rodriguez, Nanfu Wang, Jialing Zhang, English, 1h 40m, MPAA rating N/A, box office performance N/A, budget N/A, starring Nanfu Wang, Christopher Clements, Carolyn Hepburn, Sara Rodriguez, Jialing Zhang, genre Documentary, public health crisis, coronavirus outbreak, governmental failures, tragedy, citizens, Wuhan, containment, public narrative, personal impact, earliest days, initial spread, parallel campaigns, authorities, shape, devastating impact, ground, experiences, worldwide tragedy, gripping, clear-eyed, captures history, corrective, trauma, loss, Covid-19, political narratives, bungling cover-up, hospitals, homes, morgues, truth, anguish, vaccines, therapeutics, American freedom, idiotic, spreading, exposing, disease, preventable
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Christopher Clements – Producer
Carolyn Hepburn – Producer
Sara Rodriguez – Producer
Nanfu Wang – Producer
Jialing Zhang – Producer
Director(s)
Nanfu Wang
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Christopher Clements, Carolyn Hepburn, Sara Rodriguez, Nanfu Wang, Jialing Zhang
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 9 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (55) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (53) | Rotten (2)
In some respects, In the Same Breath leaves behind as many questions as it answers, but the director’s lens and those of her collaborators remain as unflinching as they are sobering.
August 18, 2021
Brian Lowry
CNN.com
TOP CRITIC
This is a story that envelops all of us, and it is devastating.
August 18, 2021
Manohla Dargis
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
At the simplest level, the stories of trauma and loss told in “In the Same Breath” exist as a necessary corrective.
August 12, 2021
Justin Chang
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
An incisive exploration of how political narratives and public health collided in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, and still do.
August 12, 2021 | Rating: 4/4
Robert Daniels
RogerEbert.com
TOP CRITIC
Wang Nanfu’s extraordinary documentary sees contemporary political structures are as much of a disease as Covid-19, and, in the long run, the deadlier foes.
August 10, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/4
Ed Gonzalez
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Outstanding director Nanfu Wang was prescient enough to send a covert team of cameras into hospitals, homes, and morgues to capture the truth and anguish, then follow the virus-and the bungling cover-up-across the sea to America.
February 20, 2021
Sheri Flanders
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Wang’s film will weigh heavy on viewers as they relive those fearful first few months of the pandemic, but it will also remind them of the great strides made with the development of several vaccines and therapeutics.
June 21, 2022 | Rating: 8/10
Ema Sasic
Next Best Picture
Its not as effective by the time it finishes but most of the time its an enrapturing exposé that ends up still being a substantial addition to Nanfu Wangs filmography.
April 10, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/5
Christopher Cross
Tilt Magazine
Acquired material of the highest testimonial value. [Full review in Spanish]
January 3, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/5
Ezequiel Boetti
Otroscines.com
Harrowing and inspiring, In the Same Breath offers an intimate window into a world of pandemic experiences that was hidden from us.
September 22, 2021 | Rating: 4.5/5
Margot Harrison
Seven Days
What’s startling, and depressing, is to see how our American “freedom,” as Covid is endlessly politicized, is the freedom to be idiotic about spreading and exposing ourselves to a disease that’s now preventable.
September 14, 2021
Steve Murray
ArtsATL
Wang succeeds in showing how the media and officials manipulate the messages.
August 20, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
Michael J. Casey
Boulder Weekly…
Plot
In the Same Breath is a documentary that follows the experiences of people on the ground during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan and the United States, exploring the confusion and failures of authorities to contain the virus and the devastating impact on citizens of both countries.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing to add here about “In the Same Breath.”
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