After Hurricane Katrina: A series in the jaws of tragedy

She remembers the bitter days in the hospital, the moments when circumstances forced her to be with family and loved ones with their health deteriorating, and oftentimes it was necessary to make decisions on their behalf or in their company.

“I had life experiences that contributed to it,” Vera Farmiga says, although “the most important thing was to draw on an incredibly well-written script, with the goal of doing my best to give the audience an experience of what it was like to be in her place.”

Connected to a video call with Worshipepic translator dictation And the series Bates Hotel She hands the keys to her style as Dr. Anna Poe, a character thrown into an unfortunate situation: when the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 forced Memorial Hospital workers (New Orleans) to choose which patients would be evacuated first and who later, and in many cases who They simply let die.

Farmiga’s role is at the heart of the drama After Hurricane Katrina (originally titled Five Days at Memorial), the short series that premiered Friday on Apple TV+ platform with three of eight seasons.

Written by famous screenwriters John Ridley (12 years a slaveand Carlton CossLost), and the production is based on the famous book on the issue published in 2013 by physician and journalist Sherry Fink. The same author who, according to the actress, became an important resource during her work.

Not only did (meet) Anna, but also Anna’s family members, friends, colleagues, hospital team members, and her patients. If you want to know what a doctor is like, ask his patients.”

What happened inside Memorial Hospital was a tragedy within a larger tragedy: After the intensity of Hurricane Katrina, one of the most destructive hurricanes ever recorded, stopped, 45 bodies were found in the facilities of the medical institution. Accordingly, the state of Louisiana launched an investigation and Dr. Poe was one of the professionals accused of the murders.

“They have to understand the circumstances,” said one of the characters at the beginning of the first episode of the novel, at a time when the authorities questioned the actions carried out by the staff.

That dramatic intensity was already present in Fink’s journalistic work and to maintain it “I tried to translate my own emotional experience into what we see on screen,” says Carlton Koss, who beat other producers interested in rights.

Our sitcom focused on the kind of emotional realities that were powerful and painful. “Good storytelling is to try to get into a character and then go on a journey with them,” explains the director.

The plot consists of a large cast (Farmiga, Sherry Jones, Cornelius Smith Jr., Robert Pine, Adebeiro Odeway, Julie Ann Emery) and with increasingly agonizing chapters, the plot revolves around moral dilemmas while striking an emotional chord.

“I think the character is universal and I hope that by exploring these personal stories, people can understand how we socially deal with some of the issues that arise with these kinds of natural disasters,” concludes Couse.