On the eve of 2020, thousands gathered in Wuhan to welcome the new year. Unbeknownst to them, their celebration was ammunition for COVID-19. Director Nanfu Wang investigates the source of the virus, the timeline of its spread unfolding like a ticking time bomb. With quiet observation and deliberate narration, she uncovers this origin story: a moment of reprieve in a hospital, a father’s desperation over his dying son. From her unique Chinese American vantage point, Wang draws parallels between East and West. The two nations are quick to point fingers at one another, yet the crisis unveils a common thread: corruption and misinformation at the highest levels of government. As both American and Chinese media lauded healthcare workers’ heroism, the film’s intimate interviews give voice to those on the frontlines’ fury at the pandemic’s traumatic toll. In the Same Breath is Wang’s rebellion—her painstaking documentation refuses false histories.  KL

Filmmaker Q&A available

Closed Captioning available

This film is only available to viewers in the United States