Quick Take: While not an easy watch for the times we’re in, the film’s message of resilience and strength after tragedy is incredibly timely. 

On November 8, 2018, the once prominent gold-mining town of Paradise, California was overtaken by uncontrollable fire, heavy smoke, and the chaos of a community leaving everything behind. The Golden State is no stranger to the occasional forest fire in the summer months, but the Camp Fire was different. It was much, much worse.

Ron Howard’s documentary Rebuilding Paradise shows the fateful day when a malfunction from a Pacific Gas & Electric electrical transmission ripped through this humble community, torching 95% of the town, killing 85 people, and leaving 50,000 residents displaced. The first twenty minutes are really difficult to sit through with dry eyes. Horrifying footage from survivors fleeing the fire, people saying goodbye to their houses, hospital patients being wheeled out on stretchers during the evacuation, and intimate 911 calls are hard to stomach. The film takes on a bit more of an optimistic tone post-fire, with determined residents banding together to get through their shared devastation in hopes of returning to Paradise again.

Ron Howard’s masterful direction re-enforces the fact that nothing humanizes us more than a tragedy. His interviews with survivors are heart-wrenching and empathetic. Watching them, we are reminded that disasters don’t discriminate. The film’s release in 2020 is, perhaps, not ideal, as we’re still in the middle of the global pandemic. However, the silver lining we can take away is the steadfast resilience and strength from Paradise residents, which is proof that we can overcome anything when we look out for each other.

Distributed by National Geographic, Rebuilding Paradise is available this Friday via Laemmle Virtual Cinema.