This is war reportage. But unpacking the metaphor of battle, so casually thrown around in the past 21 months, is part of the film's value.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 25, 2021

[A] gripping, powerful documentary...

| Nov 24, 2021

This remarkable film feels like it could become a time capsule, showing future generations what it felt like in 2020 for those on the frontline.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 23, 2021

There is no way to watch "The First Wave" without being rattled by the persistent loss of life.

| Nov 19, 2021

It's agonizing to witness the degree of suffering that this movie documents, all the more so because the pandemic is still ongoing.

| Nov 18, 2021

"The First Wave" feels simultaneously hard to watch and vital, tragic and uplifting, like a backward glimpse over our shoulder at a period of conflict and struggle - in more ways than one - that we're not quite done living through yet.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Nov 17, 2021

Matthew Heineman's documentary successfully emphasizes how people's emotions were whipsawed by an unprecedented crisis.

| Nov 17, 2021

This is a documentary that unashamedly wants to light up our emotions; it wants to rekindle the fires inside of us that may have burned out after being exposed to so much preventable death.

| Original Score: B+ | Oct 14, 2021

The First Wave narrows its gaze both in time and scope to create something more intimate, and consequently more powerful.

| Oct 13, 2021

It's both a vital piece of historical record that bravely captures the unseen horrors of the pandemic and a generous celebration of human dignity whose existence feels miraculous.

| Oct 9, 2021

A breathtaking testament to the fight to live, the calling to heal, and the power of human connection.

| Oct 9, 2021