The First Wave
2021 · Movie · R · 94 min · ★ 6.6 · 91% critics
A documentary follows the early months of Covid-19 in New York City, with rare access inside a heavily impacted hospital system. Through the experiences of frontline staff and patients from March to June 2020, it captures the pressure, uncertainty, and resilience of a city facing an unprecedented crisis.
Where to watch
Streaming on Hulu.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 2021
- Release date
- 2021-11-19
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Max quality
- UHD
- Critic score
- 91/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.6/10 (29 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want an intimate, real-time look at frontline healthcare during the early pandemic, similar in spirit to The Lost Leonardo; Not for you if you avoid distressing medical situations or heavy emotional material.
Pros: rare hospital access; frontline human stories; timely real-world focus | Cons: emotionally heavy; intense hospital scenes; limited beyond NYC
Themes
- new york city
- quarantine
- ambulance
- hospital
- doctor
- pandemic
- black lives matter
- covid-19
Cast & crew
- ND
Nathalie Dougé
as Self
- AE
Alexis Ellis
as Self - Ahmed's Wife
- KW
Kellie Wunsch
as Self
- BJ
Brussels Jabon
as Self
- NJ
Naph Jabon
as Self - Brussels' Husband
- AG
Athens Garrote
as Self - Brussels' Sister
Andrew Cuomo
as Self (archive footage)
- MD
Michael Dowling
as Self
Al Sharpton
as Self (archive footage)
- KA
Karl Arabian
as Self
Directed by Matthew Heineman