'Totally Under Control' Review
NR
Runtime: 2 Hrs and 03 Minutes
Production Companies: Jigsaw Productions, Play/Action Pictures, Participant, Yellow Bear Films
Distributor: Neon
Directors: Alex Gibney, Ophelia Harutyunya, Suzanne Hillinger
Writer: Alex Gibney
Release Date: October 13, 2020
An in-depth look at how the United States government handled the response to the COVID-19 outbreak during the early months of the pandemic.
As we trudge through the decade-long hellscape that is 2020, in the midst of the global pandemic that is COVID-19, documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney took time away from making two other documentaries (Crazy, Not Insane and Agent of Chaos) to make a third one — one that explains when, why, and how the United States government severely fucked up this entire pandemic crisis.
Totally Under Control chronicles the entire timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic, from the early days of January to as late as Friday of last week when President Trump tested positive for the virus. The doc features a variety of health officials who had experience working in the CDC, FDA, and in the Obama administration, which was able to contain previous viral outbreaks.
All of those health officials with reputable careers explain how the United States government, the CDC, and the FDA collectively fucked up while the people in charge that should’ve helped contain COVID aren’t even qualified for their current positions. Most of those people with huge roles in the government were hired solely because of their Christian faith and Republican stance and nothing else. This doc follows some of the most knowledgable scientists in the nation who frustratingly had to bust their ass and risk their jobs because their superiors wanted to appeal to Trump more so than protect the American people.
Part of the reason why we are where are now is due to the God-loving White Christians who downplay science and facts. This dates all the way back to the “faith” vs. “faith” argument, which is now put on a national scale in the hands of a completely incompetent administration who only wants to protect themselves, the rich, and conservatives. God, let me stop and review this doc before I start ranting.
I’m very anxious when it comes to documentaries centered around current and/or recent events. COVID is very much dominating our lives right now, so you might be wondering, “Why do we need to watch a doc about COVID?” You better shut up and watch this movie ASAP because it’s a great piece of journalistic reporting that explains why this administration has failed the American people and how Trump’s poor leadership led to this chaos that we’re not even close to escaping from. It’s an urgent, much-needed wake-up call for voters who are still on the fence about this upcoming election (and if you are, why the fuck are you?). The doc compares how other countries such as South Korea were able to contain the virus by taking smart and extraordinary precautions to make sure they had COVID on lock. Meanwhile, in America, we’re still twiddling our fingers about the issue. This documentary will piss you off. If you’re not already pissed off, then you’re disillusioned about the backward reality that we’re stuck in.
2020 has been 10 long years rolled into one and honestly, there were so many details about this past year that I had forgotten. This film reminds you how the United States government failed to save lives this year because they downplayed the science and wanted to appease themselves and an administration that doesn’t give a fuck about us. They had the tools to save us — the scientists in the film provided them with the tools and the answers — but because of Trump’s hubris and the kiss-ass nature of the administration, we fucking suffered. Hearing that these scientists had to risk their jobs by whistleblowing because nobody in the government would listen to them is some of the most infuriating piece of information that is still rattling me.
If there’s anything I have to criticize about this movie it’s the fact that it was completed so fast. This doc was done in the span of five months, yet every day the news provides another piece of information that is so vital to this nightmarish story that we’re all living in.
Before the upcoming general election, there are two essential documentaries that I highly recommend: Feels Good Man (yes, the Pepe doc) and Totally Under Control. Feels Good Man tells us how White supremacists got Trump into the oval office and Totally Under Control tells us how this White supremacist president killed over 200,000 citizens of the U.S. because of his hubris and the dumbass people who still put their lives on their line for him. I’m livid. I’ve been livid this entire year and this doc is so fucking important to watch before the election. Watch it right fucking now (even though it comes out on VOD on October 13 and Hulu on October 20). If you can afford it, watch it. If you can’t afford it, wait until it hits Hulu. Watch it before you cast your vote for president in the general election (if you haven’t already). It’s the final piece of information you need.
