‘The Cruelest Death’, by Belén Verdugo, revisits the drama in Spain’s nursing homes during the pandemic

The 66th edition of Seminci hosted today the screening of The Cruelest Death, by director Belén Verdugo and screenwriters José María Izquierdo and Eva Catalán, a feature film that participates in the DOC.España section and focuses, according to Izquierdo, on “a drama that took place mainly in 2020”.

The Cruelest Death brings to the screen a story about the large number of deaths in nursing homes during the pandemic. “The fundamental subject is the drama of the elderly people’s deaths and the devastation in their families, but we also wanted to put the spotlight on the work of health workers, ” explained José María Izquierdo to the audience attending the screening.

For the scriptwriter, the documentary aims to show the viewer the tragic impact that the pandemic had “especially on the elderly, an age group whose mortality toll, according to Izquierdo, “exceeded the figure of 30,000 deaths”

“The documentary’s third part puts the focus on the future; on what can be done next,” disclosed the screenwriter. The film probes into the progression of the fatal virus and its incidence in the community of Madrid: “We also try to explain why the impact was larger in Madrid and the reasons why patients were not referred”.

The Cruelest Death will show again on Tuesday, October 26, 2021 at 11:45 am at Cines Broadway.