Convergence: Courage in a Crisis
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Convergence: Courage in a Crisis
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Convergence: Courage in a Crisis is a documentary that looks at the early days of the COVID-19 global pandemic. The film features some English subtitles. References, mentions, and images of violence bodies being cremated, death threats, and physical altercations. There's surveillance footage of Dr. Armen Henderson, a Black physician who is allegedly racially profiled and seen handcuffed in front of his house by a police officer. There are pregnancies and a birth of a child. Language references include swear words "s--t show," "f--kd up," and "f--king." There's also archival footage of global protests about social injustices and reaction to the murder of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota by a White American police officer, as well as images of cigarettes, cocktails, beer bottles, drugs to treat COVID-19 patients, and vaccine injections to combat coronavirus. Positive messages include support for others in times of a crisis, helpful ways to aid the underrepresented in society, and openness to embrace cultural differences.
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What's the Story?
CONVERGENCE: COURAGE IN A CRISIS is a collaborative film effort about the initial outbreak period of the COVID-19 pandemic around the world. The documentary features a diverse global population of people from eight countries who share personal and professional narratives about the challenging health emergency. The documentary also looks at the development of the COVID-19 vaccine and the beginning of its distribution.
Is It Any Good?
Oscar-winning British filmmaker Orlando von Einsiedel (The White Helmets) offers a potent picture about the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The documentary is guided by the unique lens of its diverse storytellers from areas such as China, South America, and the United States. "I think that my entire life has been a training exercise for all of the disaster that's going on," says Dr. Armen Henderson, a Black physician at University of Miami Health System. "The pandemic has taught me that if you stay ready, you don't have to get ready. Because I am a doctor, because I deal with crises, because I know of the inequities that exist within our system, I've pretty much prepared myself for the worst-case scenarios."
For African native Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, the coronavirus pandemic is "a call that is telling us to really behave, to behave as a global community" and that "opportunities are born from crises." With its first-rate presentation that expresses hope for a more inclusive world for kids and their families, Convergence: Courage in a Crisis is an essential platform to experience for timely conversations about a historic lifetime occurrence.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the teamwork among the cast in Convergence: Courage in a Crisis. How do they also demonstrate communication, compassion, courage, and perseverance? Why are these important character strengths?
In what ways did the pandemic bring attention to the global issue of healthcare inequality? Social and economic inequities?
What could be the benefits to having a culturally diverse healthcare team? How does it prove helpful to a patient and their family?
How would you describe the effects of the pandemic on your family? What moments are notable and why? What possible lessons can be learned from this event?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: October 12, 2021
- Cast: Hassan Akkad, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Armen Henderson
- Director: Orlando von Einsiedel
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Documentary
- Topics: Activism, STEM, Great Boy Role Models, Great Girl Role Models, Science and Nature
- Character Strengths: Communication, Compassion, Courage, Perseverance, Teamwork
- Run time: 113 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: some language
- Last updated: February 28, 2022
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