For this week’s Friday Film Review, Linda Jager looks at a documentary that spanned the globe—and was featured at this year’s online Sundance Film Festival.
July 25, 2020, was likely just another ordinary summer day for many of us. Yet, the events of that one particular day were chronicled by hundreds of thousands of individuals worldwide for the YouTube documentary” Life in a Day 2020”.
Premiering at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival,” Life in a Day 2020” is a crowdsourced documentary assembled from video footage submitted by more than 324,000 amateur filmmakers from 192 different countries. The result is a moving 90-minute time capsule marking one of the most turbulent years in history.
This was the second time the film’s director Kevin McDonald held an open call on YouTube looking for a day in the life-themed submissions. His first effort yielded over 80,000 entries which contributed to the 2010 documentary of the same name.
Fittingly, the film begins with the birth of a new day and women from various cultures in labor, all sharing the milestone of bringing a new life into the world. From dawn to dusk, July 25, 2020 is filled with daily rituals and celebrations, triumphs and tragedy, love, laughter, and loss.
Many scenes from the day will make you smile or shed a tear – including a special birthday celebration for a young girl, a socially distant graduation ceremony, a rejected marriage proposal, a real-time breakup, and a touching on-camera interview exchange between a young daughter and her gravely ill father.
The film lacks scenes from the all too familiar protests, political discord, and empty public spaces that marked much of 2020. Instead, these themes play out in a tapestry of stories from individuals who have been impacted by social injustice, climate change, and COVID-19.
Now streaming on YouTube (https://lifeinaday.youtube/) , “Life in a Day 2020” is not rated but does contain some adult themes, mature subjects that may not be appropriate for young children.
It’s a film worth watching that celebrates the shared human experience.
This is Linda Jager with the KPCW Friday Film Review.
