The coronavirus pandemic is slowly inching towards its end in the US thanks to the increasing availability of vaccines, but HBO is already reliving the initial scare of the outbreak. On Tuesday, the network released the trailer for The Last Cruise, a new documentary about the ill-fated Diamond Princess cruise ship.
Directed and produced by Hannah Olson, The Last Cruise is a first-person account of the real-time fear of passengers and crew members as they realized they were living through a global crisis. The Diamond Princess cruise ship set sail from Yokohama, Japan on January 20th last year and, by February 26th, it accounted for more than half of all the documented COVID-19 cases outside of China. More than 700 people onboard were infected, with countless people being rushed out in ambulances.
In the trailer, passengers can be seen eating lavish meals, exercising at group events, and going about their daily vacation schedules on the boat before suddenly people in masks appear. That’s when the terrifying news is announced through the overhead speakers by the captain: “Please be advised that two guests tested positive for coronavirus.” A jolt of shock can be seen on everyone’s faces.
But then, things start to get worse and worse as the length of time to quarantine increases, people in hazmat suits appear onboard, food is left outside of each person’s room, and people begin to exit the ship on stretchers. In one interview, a member of the ship’s essential worker team fears their safety won’t be as valued as that of the passengers. Needless to say, it’s a gut-wrenching trailer, in part because it all feels so recent. Watch the full video below.
The Last Cruise is currently scheduled to premiere at the SXSW Film Festival later this month. Afterwards, it will be available to view on HBO and HBO Max starting on March 30th. Until then, stay tuned to Consequence of Sound for our coverage of the film festival here.
