Totally Under Control (2020)

Totally Under Control review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

During a time of great misconception where a US President declares general journalism as fake news, it can be very frustrating to comprehend the failure of America to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. In an effort to defend Trump, the issue of following science has sadly become a highly politicized topic, where restrictions are seen more as fascistic measures than stopping the spread. It’s so easy to be gish-galloped in such an age of constant misinformation which is why a film such as Totally Under Control is totally necessary.

The title comes from the lie of Donald Trump that Covid-19 would not be a big deal. He downplayed it early in 2020 and continued to downplay it at every turn. He lifted restrictions around Easter because he thought it would be a great time to do it. He said by summer the heat would kill off the spread and we’d all be fine, like a miracle. At the time of this writing, I’m in Minnesota where there have been over 5,000 cases and over 100 deaths from the disease. In one day. This is the worst month for Covid-19 by far. The spread is by no means under control as my state has now gone into lockdown again. And please do not come at me with your whole “well, what Trump actually meant was…” He’s the president, not a David Lynch puzzle box.

But this documentary is far more than just a Trump-bashing picture, even though his administration deserves a heavy amount of blame. Aiming to be all-encompassing, the film covers the spread around the world from multiple countries, showing how Covid-19 was handled. It’s shocking how fast and effective such measures were taken elsewhere, as in South Korea where lockdown went into effect quickly and testing went at an absurdly high rate per day. Meanwhile, in America, the Covid-19 test was just starting to be finalized as cases were beginning to crop up. But an error in one of the tests by the CDC forced them into a recall and about of panic started about where to proceed next.

From there, we get plenty of interviews from scientists and those working within the health organizations for their take on Covid-19. They go over effective measures and means of how to handle the spread, most of which went unheard by higher-ups. Many of those interviewed show great frustration at trying to handle the Trump administration and his misleading press conferences. One of the most concerning was his curious nature about using hydroxychloroquine as a potential cure. This was soon proven false, though most medical experts agreed right off the bat it would not only be ineffective but would actually worsen some conditions, contrary to Trump’s argument of “what have you got to lose?” There’s also the deeply unsettling favoring of bleach as a cure, which was mostly promoted by crazed Christians as snake oil and mysteriously found its way to the President’s desk.

This documentary is going to age like a fine wine when looking back on this era. Consider how all the interviews were filmed professionally with closed and sanitized sets. There’s an additional shot during these interviews, showing the subject from behind so we can see the feature-quality camera and mic covered in plastic for protection. Interviewees will arrive at their interviews with their masks on, taking them off before addressing the camera. This kinda protocol for safety in the times of Covid-19 is something that shouldn’t be forgotten.

And there’s a lot of chilling footage present to illustrate just how ineffective the US has been in handling this situation. Hospitals are filled to the brink with staff members unsure how long they can keep going with such an overflow of cases and deaths. Businesses shut down. Protests loom amid lockdowns. And all the while the President continues to pick fights with the media and assures he’s done the best job handling this. He has not, as the film illustrates from more than one angle. Nothing about 2020 has been under control and the least of that has been a deadly disease that has not gone away like a miracle. It’s been eight months since America has been on lockdown and if it weren’t for the potential of a vaccine soon being on the way, there is no light at the end of the tunnel.