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We Heard the Bells: The Influenza of 1918

We Heard the Bells: The Influenza of 1918

2010

TV-PG

Director

Lisa Laden

Runtime

56 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

Synopsis

We meet individuals from marginalized communities who describe what it was like to live through the 1918 flu pandemic. Their experiences raise questions about the pandemic: why did it kill so many people? Why were so many of the dead young adults? Where did this lethal flu come from? How can we keep a pandemic like that from occurring again? The film follows the search for answers from an expedition to Alaska in 1951 to collect tissue from bodies buried in the permafrost, to the scientists and epidemiologists working on the same questions today. It explains the relevance of research into the 1918 pandemic to the threat of current and future flu pandemics.

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Diversity & Representation

Overall Score

5.8/10

Fair


Category Breakdown

LGBTQ+ Representation

Fair

The film focuses on epidemiological and social impacts rather than queer narratives. There is no explicit mention of LGBTQ+ characters or identities within the documentary.

Gender Representation

Fair

The narrative disrupts traditional medical histories by centering diverse voices. It avoids a 'great man' approach to science by prioritizing various individual experiences.

Racial & Ethnic Diversity

Good

The documentary centers individuals from marginalized communities. An expedition to Alaska suggests an engagement with indigenous geographies and non-Western historical realities.

Religious & Cultural Diversity

Good

The film critiques historical institutional competence by questioning systemic failures. It adopts a secular, investigative framework to examine the pandemic's impact.

Disability Representation

Fair

The focus remains on the physiological impact of the virus on young adults. It is unclear if the film explores long-term disability or neurodivergence.

Strengths

  • Prioritizes marginalized voices over traditional, monolithic historical narratives.
  • Engages with indigenous geographies through the Alaskan permafrost expedition.
  • Challenges the 'great man' theory of scientific discovery by centering diverse interviewees.

Areas for Improvement

  • Lacks explicit focus on LGBTQ+ identities or queer narratives.
  • Does not clearly address neurodivergence or long-term disability as primary identities.
  • Specific details regarding the subversion of gender hierarchies remain unverified.

AI Analysis

Lisa Laden’s documentary serves as a corrective historical narrative. It moves away from centralized, top-down medical histories to prioritize the lived experiences of marginalized groups during the 1918 pandemic. The film connects historical systemic failures with modern scientific urgency. By exploring the search for answers through expeditions to Alaska and contemporary epidemiology, it values diverse human perspectives over purely institutional accounts. While the film succeeds in highlighting intersectional storytelling and non-Western geographies, it remains neutral regarding specific LGBTQ+ or disability-focused identities.

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