In the Same Breath
{{Short description|2021 documentary film by Nanfu Wang}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| name = In the Same Breath
| image = In the Same Breath poster.jpeg
| alt =
| caption = Official poster
| native_name =
| director = Nanfu Wang
| producer = {{Plainlist|
- Nanfu Wang
- Christopher Clements
- Julie Goldman
- Carolyn Hepburn
- Jialing Zhang
}}
| writer =
| screenplay =
| story =
| based_on =
| starring =
| narrator =
| music = Nathan Halpern
| cinematography = {{Plainlist|
- Jarred Alterman
- Peter Alton
- Tom Bergmann
- Gil De la Rosa
- Michelle Gao
- Yuanchen Liu
- Rex Miller
- Martina Radwan
- Sam Rong
- Michael Shade
- R.C. Song
- Paul Szynol
- K. Yang
- Matt Yu
}}
| editing = Michael Shade
Nanfu Wang
| studio = {{Plainlist|
- HBO Documentary Films
- Cinetic Media
- Little Horse Crossing the River
- Little Lantern Company
- Motto Pictures
}}
| distributor = HBO
| released = {{Film date|2021|1|28|Sundance|2021|8|12|United States}}
| runtime = 95 minutes
| country = United States
| language =
| budget =
| gross =
}}
In the Same Breath is a 2021 documentary film directed and produced by Nanfu Wang. It follows how the Chinese and American governments reacted to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 28, 2021. It was released in a limited release on August 12, 2021, by HBO Documentary Films prior to its broadcast on HBO on August 18, 2021.
Synopsis
{{expand section|date=March 2022}}
The film follows the response of the Chinese and American governments to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Production
While Nanfu Wang was still working on another project, she set out to make a short film about the Chinese government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving her son with her mother. But as COVID-19 spread, Wang became worried and started looking for more information during her stay in China, she found that much of it was censored or false propaganda disseminated by the Chinese government. She began contacting cinematographers in Wuhan, China and soon realized that the stories about the pandemic were too important to be in a short film. She started incorporating the American response to the pandemic after seeing some U.S. health officials share misinformation about it.{{cite web|url=https://www.sltrib.com/artsliving/2021/01/27/these-sundance-films/|title=These Sundance films bring the COVID-19 pandemic to the screen|website=The Salt Lake City Tribune|first=Sean|last=P. Means|date=January 27, 2021|access-date=January 28, 2021}} HBO Documentary Films came on board to produce and distribute the film.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/at-sundance-pandemic-dramas-unfold-on-screen-and-off/2021/01/28/307e1e1e-6126-11eb-a177-7765f29a9524_story.html|title=t Sundance, pandemic dramas unfold on screen and off|newspaper=The Washington Post|first=Jake|last=Coyle|date=January 28, 2021|access-date=January 28, 2021|archive-date=February 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203014620/https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/at-sundance-pandemic-dramas-unfold-on-screen-and-off/2021/01/28/307e1e1e-6126-11eb-a177-7765f29a9524_story.html|url-status=dead}}
Release
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 28, 2021.{{Cite news|last=Brough|first=Rick|date=December 22, 2020|title=Sundance Unveils 2021 Film Festival Lineup|work=KPCW|url=https://www.kpcw.org/post/sundance-unveils-2021-film-festival-lineup|access-date=January 17, 2021}}{{Cite news|date=December 15, 2020|title=Sundance Film Festival unveils slate for 1st virtual edition|work=ABC News|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/sundance-film-festival-unveils-slate-1st-virtual-edition-74742915|access-date=January 17, 2021}} It also screened at South by Southwest in March 2021.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/02/sxsw-film-festival-2021-lineup-charli-xcx-alone-together-tom-petty-somewhere-you-feel-free-1234690904/|title=SXSW Film Festival Unveils Full Lineup; Charli XCX Quarantine Feature To Close Fest; Tom Petty Docu Set As Centerpiece|website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Dino|last=Day-Ramos|date=February 10, 2021|accessdate=February 10, 2021}} It was released in a limited release on August 12, 2021, prior to its broadcast on HBO on August 18, 2021.{{cite web|url=https://www.laemmle.com/film/same-breath|title=In the Same Breath|website=Laemmle.com|access-date=August 2, 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://pressroom.warnermedia.com/us/media-release/hbo-0/hbo-documentary-same-breath-debuts-august-18|title=HBO Documentary IN THE SAME BREATH Debuts August 18 (Official Trailer)|website=WarnerMedia|date=August 5, 2021|access-date=August 5, 2021}}
Reception
= Critical reception =
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 96% based on reviews from 50 critics, with an average rating of 8.40/10. The critics' consensus reads: "Gripping and clear-eyed, In the Same Breath captures history as it's being written -- and governmental failures as they amplify worldwide tragedy."{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/in_the_same_breath |title=In the Same Breath (2021) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |publisher=Fandango |access-date=April 5, 2021 }}
=Accolades=
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb title}}
- {{Rotten Tomatoes}}
- [https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/in-the-same-breath-review-nanfu-wang-1234893684/ In the Same Breath Review: Nanfu Wang’s Disquieting Look at the Early Days of COVID in Wuhan], By Owen Gleiberman, Variety, January 28, 2021. Detailed plot summary.
{{Nanfu Wang}}
{{COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China}}
Category:2021 documentary films
Category:American documentary films
Category:Films directed by Nanfu Wang
Category:Documentary films about the COVID-19 pandemic
Category:Documentary films about China