The First Wave

The First Wave is a 2021 American documentary film that follows a hospital in New York City from March to June 2020 as it battles the COVID-19 pandemic. The film examines structural factors that influenced the initial COVID outbreak and how such factors impact American society more broadly. Through intimate storytelling, the documentary sheds light on the experiences of healthcare workers, including Nathalie Dougé as one of the hospital staff members, who struggled to cope with the crisis while also navigating their personal lives, such as Brussels Jabon's character - Brussels' Husband, who faces the challenges of quarantine and its effects on families like Ahmed's Wife.