#SUNDANCE: “LIFE IN A DAY 2020”

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

Through crowdsourced footage, Life in a Day 2020 shows what people in 192 countries were doing on July 25, 2020.

Impressively, Director Kevin MacDonald manages to find a narrative with this random video footage. We begin with the miracle of life, some happening in hospitals and others at home. MacDonald switches from here to start of the beginning of people’s day. And we end with the world going back to sleep. 

Through the narrative we see people coping with the impacts of the pandemic. We hear from doctors and people who are ill, with transition shots of empty streets all over the world. MacDonald includes the things we were able to experience at home. People trying new recipes and finding safe ways to exercise. We see the importance of love from family, spouses and pets to help us get through that summer. 

Some of the highlights from the footage is hearing from people who marched and peacefully protested for George Floyd. Additionally, the message about the effects of climate change. As we stayed home, we saw wildlife and nature try to recoup. He edits this with footage of the negative effects some countries experienced due to climate change. If you look carefully, around the one-hour mark you will see Toronto jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson among those featured.

Life in a Day 2020 shows us a that in one of the most isolated times we are all connected in more ways than we think.

Life in a Day 2020 screens at Sundance:

Live Premiere: February 1 at 6 PM (EST)

On-Demand (available for 24 hours): February 3 at 10 AM (EST)