Whenever I think of a doctor, I think of my mother Silvia, a tireless and generous pediatrician. Since childhood I’ve been fascinated by the way she works, completely dedicated to the care of children, whether they are her young patients or not, always available far beyond working hours. 

When the pandemic hit Italy and the hospitals began to admit patients in massive waves, I thought of the many Silvias, hard and dedicated workers who make an essential contribution to their community. For this reason I did not want to portray the medical staff as impersonal heroes. Rather, I was interested in grasping the complexity and the essence of those moments.

The key feature of this complex situation was the isolation of patients, a condition equally painful for the patients as for the medical staff. The only people able to be with patients and to comfort them were doctors and nurses, but those only possible human contacts were through barriers, even in the critical moments on the point of death. This tragic loneliness comes out again and again in the documentary. 

Since I had no time for location surveys, I had to write the story while filming it together with my mate and DoP Luca Gennari. From the first days of shooting I decided it was going to be a collective story. Hence, the leading role is played by the entire community of medical staff and their patients.

I chose to film from the point of view of an eyewitness, like if I were one of the protagonists. I prefer not to define or impose a rigid point of view in my films, because I’d like the audience to be the more free as possible to interpret what they are watching.

Michele Aiello