With the presidential election 3 weeks away, it is not surprising that directors Alex Gibney, Ophelia Harutyunyan, and Suzanne Hillinger made sure their doc Totally Under Control, a look at the current administration’s mishandling of the Coronavirus pandemic, was completed and released as soon as possible. In order to conduct their interviews, the filmmakers and their crew ensured social distancing and secure camera setups, going as far as making “COVID Cams,” which were built offsite and delivered to the interviewees. For most Americans, the onslaught of news coverage has kept us all abreast, but Gibney, Harutyunyan, and Hillinger further expose the failures of the current administration and confirm that they better start packing. 

Every doctor, health expert, and government official interviewed agreed that a pandemic was an inevitable threat and reality for the US. Dr. Rick Bright, BARDA Director from 2016-2020, explains that in 2019 the federal government conducted an exercise simulating a pandemic that used a highly lethal influenza that started in Asia. Not only is this eerily similar to Coronavirus and should have guided those in power with their decision making, but the biggest offenses came from a complete disregard to this data and playbook. Dr. Bright went into a meeting with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar, and used the data from the exercise to answer questions about how much money would be needed. His answer of $10 billion came from the 2019 exercise data and, as Dr. Bright put it, “ruffled feathers” and “created a shitstorm” resulting in Azar not inviting him to meetings for a while as a form of punishment. 

An unsurprising takeaway from the doc is the downplay and disregard towards the research, science, and data during the early months of the pandemic. Dr. Mike Bowen, Executive Vice President of Prestige Ameritech, voted for 45 in 2016 and contacted the administration about the need to open US manufacturing of N95 masks multiple times. Instead, the CDC changed the guidelines to not use masks and specifically not N95. Furthermore, the documentary gets its title from an actual quote from 45 when asked what he was doing about COVID-19. The lying is second nature. Footage from his rallies is a disgusting display of ego-stroking and manipulation while the country dove headfirst into a recession with more than 200,000 deaths from his apathy.

Filming completed on October 1st, and the next day 45 tested positive for COVID-19. The irony is not lost on any of us, but if anyone thinks this will lead to any meaningful action then they are just as disillusioned as he is. Totally Under Control speaks to the importance of voting, and why we need to ensure that it is taken seriously in this election. This administration cannot continue. Please, make sure you have a voting plan, do meaningful research, and then vote!

Distributed by NEON, Totally Under Control is available On-Demand Tuesday, October 13, 2020, and on Hulu October 20, 2020.