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We Heard the Bells: The Influenza of 1918

Name: We Heard the Bells: The Influenza of 1918
Director: Lisa Laden
Released: 2010
Duration: 56 min

Representation Score

7.9/10

Good

2010

TV-PG

Director

Lisa Laden

Runtime

56 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Lisa Laden’s documentary serves as a corrective historical narrative. It shifts away from centralized, top-down medical histories to prioritize the lived experiences of underrepresented groups during the 1918 pandemic. The film connects historical systemic failures with modern scientific urgency by exploring expeditions to Alaska and contemporary epidemiology, valuing diverse human perspectives over purely institutional accounts. While the film highlights storytelling that reflects multiple aspects of identity and non-Western geographies, it remains neutral regarding specific LGBTQ+ or disability-focused identities.

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Category Breakdown

Does We Heard the Bells: The Influenza of 1918 have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The documentary does not include any explicit mention of LGBTQ+ characters or identities. Instead, it focuses on the epidemiological and social impacts of the 1918 pandemic.

How does We Heard the Bells: The Influenza of 1918 portray gender?

Fair

The film disrupts traditional medical histories by centering diverse voices and prioritizing individual experiences. It avoids the 'great man' approach to science by focusing on various interviewees.

How racially and ethnically diverse is We Heard the Bells: The Influenza of 1918?

Good

The documentary centers individuals from underrepresented communities. It engages with indigenous geographies and non-Western historical realities through an expedition to Alaska.

How does We Heard the Bells: The Influenza of 1918 represent religion and culture?

Good

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

Does We Heard the Bells: The Influenza of 1918 include 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.

Present on Screen

Prioritizes the voices of underrepresented groups over traditional, monolithic historical narratives.
Engages with indigenous geographies through an expedition to Alaska.
Challenges the 'great man' theory of scientific discovery by centering diverse interviewees.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit focus on LGBTQ+ identities or queer narratives.
Does not clearly address neurodivergence or long-term disability as primary identities.
Does not provide specific details about the subversion of gender hierarchies.

Official 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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