NEON has unveiled the first trailer and premiere date for documentary filmmakers Alex Gibney, Ophelia Harutyunyan and Suzanne Hillingerand’s new work “Totally Under Control” which explores the global COVID-19 pandemic and more specifically the United States’ response to it.
Quietly shot over the past four months, the feature focuses on a period from July 15th to August 31st when the American death toll from COVID-19 was at an average of 1,000 per day – double the number of lives lost on 9/11 every week – and is currently estimated at 209,000 deaths. With 4% of the world’s population, the country has experienced 21% of the world’s deaths from COVID-19.
Combining damning testimony from public health officials with investigative reporting, Gibney works to expose a system-wide collapse caused by a profound dereliction of leadership with the project being labelled “the definitive account of the Trump administration’s incompetence, corruption and denial in the face of the global pandemic”.
The launch of the trailer is somewhat awkward timing following U.S. President Donald Trump’s testing positive for COVID-19 and currently receiving treatment in hospital. “Totally Under Control” is set to debut on digital platforms and VOD on October 13th followed by a premiere on Hulu on October 20th.