«Io Resto», the humanity of the Covid hospital in Brescia told in a film

Humanity is the first word that comes to mind when seeing I remain, the documentary film that will be released on September 30th in Italian cinemas. It tells of a month in the life of a hospital, the Spedali Civili of Brescia, during the weeks of Covid. Director, Michele Aiello, is the only documentary shot entirely where the emergency was more severe and dramatic.

“I chose Brescia because I felt I had to shoot in Lombardy and the Brescia one was the least in the spotlight. I was lucky enough to meet the sensitivity of Professor Castelli, the chief physician of infectious diseases, who felt that this period could be told in the same way that the plague was told in the past », explains the director.

This film is a testimony, but it is alive because it is close to events. There is no historical detachment. «We recognize ourselves as human beings. When I entered the hospital, I felt the overwhelming human relationship between doctors and nurses on the one hand and patients on the other. There was a strong awareness of the isolation of patients who could not see family members and could not communicate for the forms of care. Everyone felt they didn’t have to leave them alone and an emotional connection was created even beyond the glass that separated rooms and corridors. Everyone did it, but I found the presence of women in particular strong: doctors and nurses ».

All this in a frenetic situation like that of a overcrowded hospital. The images clearly show the contrast between the hospital dormitories of yesteryear and the emptiness of the city streets. Equally evident is the need to find ways of communication and human relationships. The chief physician says that the last farewell for patients is ethically necessary.

«I for one», Aiello explains, «I had to understand what the hell was going on in the hospital. I tried to make small portraits finding universal traits. It was difficult and intense because everything was immersed in uncertainty which was also of the doctors. To this was added an experience of the resistance of life and the passage between life and death. This experience has brought me many questions. The answers will come ».

You may also like