I was not in Bergamo during Covid-19, but I was in Italy. And I remember the first impressions I got from seeing images on television: discomfort, fear, disconcert. Bergamo became for me a city-symbol, an image of unexplainable suffering, the image of both tragedy and generosity. I shall never forget the doctors, particularly Dr. Vincenzo, the one featured in the documentary, the many nurses and many Priests that paid with their lives the decision of remaining at the side of the suffering and of not abandoning our common call to be with others especially in times of need. The documentary is a bit too long, and yet very moving. At different points, I was moved to tears and those were mostly tears of gratitude to the goodness the documentary was bringing forward.
I recommend this documentary to any one concerned with issues of life and death. This is the kind of movie that needs to be screened in Schools and Universities. The subject is difficult to cope with, but the message is positive. I think this movie is in itself a sign of hope. It brings us back to reality, but darkness is by far not the tone. Looking at death in the eyes might be for many, as it was for me, a blessing. Love and beauty are the predominant tones of this magnificent work. If it were for me, this is the kind of documentary that must be shown on television across Europe. After all, the walls of Bergamo are those of our Common House.
