76 Days
| Release Date: December 4, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
84
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
23
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The Irish TimesDonald ClarkeJan 29, 2021
It is a terrible story, but, in its constant discovery of bravery and compassion, ultimately a hopeful one. Read full review
100
VarietyGuy LodgeDec 11, 2020
That it’s so artfully and elegantly observed, and packs such a candid wallop of feeling, atop its frontline urgency is testament to the grace and sensitivity of its directorial team, not just their timely savvy. Read full review
100
Washington PostAnn HornadayDec 2, 2020
Devoid of muckraking sensationalism, it instead evolves into something more tactful, and compassionate, as teams of exhausted medical professionals do anything to save their patients’ lives, or at least grace their final moments with gestures of caring and connection. Read full review
100
The PlaylistChris BarsantiSep 19, 2020
A stirring testament to the necessity of empathy for surviving with any kind of dignity in a particularly undignified time. Read full review
91
The Film StageChristian GallichioSep 19, 2020
While at times a brutal watch, with the film’s insistence on showing the ravages of COVID-19 in up-close detail, 76 Days will, I suspect, become a landmark document when talking about the virus and China’s initial response. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenSep 19, 2020
The camerawork and editing are extraordinary in their immediacy and their sensitivity to chaos, exhaustion and resilience — often all at once. Read full review
90
SlashfilmJason GorberSep 19, 2020
It manages in a concise and remarkable way to illustrate not only the ravages of this new virus but how its effects continue to resonate no matter the political forces looking to downplay its risks. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerDec 4, 2020
In its quiet, apolitical observation, 76 Days points to a complete failure – not only of the Trump administration to get a handle on this public health disaster, but of the American press. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comPeter SobczynskiDec 9, 2020
To the credit of the filmmakers, 76 Days has been made in such a skillful and gripping manner that even those suffering from COVID news fatigue will find themselves caught up in it. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsDec 2, 2020
The result is a narrow slice of a much, much larger story, somewhat akin to the hands-off, eyes-wide-open documentary approach of Frederick Wiseman — if Wiseman were a war correspondent. Rarely has recent global history seemed so far away, yet so present. It’s one of the year’s essential documents. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloDec 2, 2020
The overall impression 76 Days delivers is that of dedicated professionals coping with an unprecedented onslaught of emergencies to the best of their ability, grimly waiting for the curve to flatten. Read full review
83
IndieWireDavid EhrlichSep 19, 2020
Shaggy and slapped together as it may be, “76 Days” is an urgent act of witnessing for a world that only tends to see itself clearly in hindsight; the film’s value to future generations is self-evident, but it has just as much to show us in the here and now about the history we’re making alone and together. Read full review
80
Time OutDave CalhounFeb 19, 2021
It’s uncompromising. It’s disturbing. But it’s also deeply human, allowing for many glimpses of human kindness and human frailty beyond a wall of anonymity and pain. Read full review
80
CineVueJohn BleasdaleJan 25, 2021
It shows the desperation, the pain and the suffering, but it also reveals the spirit and fortitude of those tasked with caring for the sick. Read full review
80
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeJan 25, 2021
It is, at times, harrowing. The film doesn’t shy away from grief at its rawest, fear at its most paralysing. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKevin CrustDec 7, 2020
We are likely to be watching films on this subject for years to come, but for it’s sheer in-the-moment rawness, 76 Days is one that will stick in your consciousness for some time. Read full review
80
The New York TimesNicolas RapoldDec 3, 2020
76 Days, which gets its title from the Wuhan lockdown imposed from January 23 to April 8, is defined more by the human capacity for resilience and compassion than by a relentless sense of doom (or by a focus on China’s policy decisions). Read full review
80
The AtlanticDavid SimsOct 5, 2020
76 Days is unvarnished and raw, a first draft of a history that’s still being written. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawSep 19, 2020
76 Days is not a hard-hitting documentary about the centre of the Covid-19 pandemic – maybe such a film will be slower to arrive than the vaccine – but it’s a potent human-interest story, and a portrait of a city under siege. Read full review
80
Screen DailyTim GriersonSep 19, 2020
What comes across strongest is the sheer uncertainty gripping both the caregivers and the infected — no one has experienced anything like this, and no one knows what could happen next. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineDerek SmithNov 30, 2020
The documentary may be the defining portrait of the dawning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Sep 19, 2020
At times, we might be watching a deadpan workplace comedy; that it’s possible to laugh at this subject matter at all is a testament to its matter-of-fact presentation and maybe also to the extent that this virus has completely seeped into every corner of life. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzSep 19, 2020
At times, this cinema-vérité approach results in a claustrophobic and engrossing viewing experience. But its construction also frequently, and curiously, lacks urgency, and the few characters the filmmakers keep returning to never quite stick. Read full review
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