Absolutely no in the world of documentaries moves as fast as Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney. Known for award-winning docs like “Taxi to the Dark Side,” “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief,” “We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks,” (his CV is outrageously long) Gibney already unveiled “Agents Of Chaos” this fall, on September 23 on HBO, a timely and revealing look at Russia’s interference into the 2016 election.
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But he has another up his sleeve, “Totally Under Control,” about the White House’s failed response to the pandemic, directed with Suzanne Hillinger, and Ophelia Harutyunyan, presumably because no one human can take on that full workload. And yes, this one, which delivered its trailer today, is rather timely given President Trump went from calling coronavirus a hoax, to something “totally under control,” to admitting he tested positive for the virus yesterday along with the first lady (it’s apparently total chaotic pandemonium in the White House right now; “It’s as if the campaign ended yesterday,” a former West Wing official told Vanity Fair).
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Here’s the official synopsis which is already out of date because at the time it was released, 190,000 Americans had died from the virus, not 200,000, the more updated number. But all you need to know. This is going to be an in-depth look into the botched job Trump and the White House did on Covid-19.
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At this moment 190,000 Americans have died from COVID-19. From July 15 to August 31, the death toll was running at an average of 1000/day. That’s double the number of those who perished on 9/11 every week. The carelessly designed lockdowns and their long-lasting economic effects have led to massive job losses (23 million/14.7% in April), widespread hunger, dislocation and a runaway federal deficit. Had the federal government done its job properly – by following clear guidelines in place based on past pandemics – most of the death and destruction could have been avoided. While the current administration makes its claims for a job well done, the fact is that the US response to COVID-19 is one of the worst, with 4% of the world’s population and 21% of the deaths.
How did this happen?
On January 20th, 2020 the US and South Korea both discovered their first cases of COVID-19. However, 9 months later, the novel Coronavirus has claimed the lives of almost 200,000 Americans and caused staggering economic damage, while in South Korea, there were no significant lockdowns and, in an urbanized population of 51 million, only 344 lives have been lost. Where did we go wrong? As the presidential election nears, Americans are increasingly enraged by a lack of clear leadership, endemic political corruption and left to wonder how did the wealthiest and most powerful country in the world manage to fail so thoroughly in its response to a global pandemic?
“Totally Under Control” opens On Demand October 13 and premieres on Hulu, October 20. Watch the holy shit, damning trailer below.
