As the largest health crisis in more than a century continues to afflict the country, the state, and the town, residents will have a chance this month to see and hear Madison as it was only a short time ago—though it might seem like much longer stretched by the uncertainties and fears of this year.

Turning the Tide: Madison and COVID-19 is a documentary produced by the Madison Historical Society (MHS), shot and edited by two local filmmakers in April and early May of this year that seeks to capture a snapshot of the town and its residents as they confronted the now-familiar world of social distancing, mask-wearing, and economic shortfalls of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

MHS will debut the film virtually on Friday, Nov. 13.

“It’s a time capsule,” said Connor Wilke, the film’s director. “I think it’s actually great because even now, looking back and seeing everyone’s reactions then and comparing it to now, it’s still very drastic [in contrast]. So it’s interesting how time changes, especially in 2020.”

Now with a runtime of about 30 minutes, the documentary was originally an unfunded, almost back-of-the napkin idea as MHS Executive Director Jenny Simpson approached Wilke and his film partner, Garrett Samodel, who together make up a production company called Cine Verite.

Wilke and Samodel eventually shot more than 60 hours of footage, according to Simpson, and over the summer MHS was awarded an approximately $5,000 grant to fund the project, which was originally going to clock in at closer to 15 minutes.

Featuring interviews with residents of different ages, occupations, and perspectives, the documentary falls squarely in what Wilke called the “epicenter” of the pandemic, revealing the immediate emotional impacts that ranged from stunned disbelief as business owners saw their restaurants or shops closed down by the state, or students grappled with the strange new world of “remote learning.”

“We tried to get close...and tried to capture that initial feeling that everyone was feeling,” Wilke said.

Madison doctors, Daniel Hand High School students, town employees, and small business owners all shared their individual feelings and stories, and both Wilke and Samodel said they see both similarities and vast differences in the attitudes revealed in the film compared to how residents today approach the chaotic and changing world of 2020.

“That’s the interesting part of the film I think,” Samodel said, “is the total uncertainty. And that does reflect now, but even more so it was amplified through the beginning stages of the film...It’s just a raw element of people giving their perspectives. And I think that’s a special part about [the film].”

That uncertainty bled into how the documentary was filmed and planned, according to Samodel, to the point where he and Wilke didn’t know day-to-day whether they would be able to keep conducting interviews, or whether the film’s direction would be upended by some new monumental change in the world.

But in the end, both said they thought Turning the Tide has managed to capture an incredibly important moment in Madison’s history that might be a microcosm of how a lot of places around the state and country confronted the first huge upheavals of the pandemic.

“There’s that incredible crucial moment that happens that everyone remembers,” Wilke said.

Samodel said he sees the appeal and the themes of Turning the Tide as essentially universal, and hopes that the film could be entered into festivals as well as added to online streaming services like Amazon Prime.

“It is based on Madison, we’re going to want to get a firsthand [reaction],” Samodel said, “people who are familiar with it and such, and then maybe go out to other focus groups. We’re looking at a lot of things.”

Residents can register for the virtual premier of Turning the Tide at the MHS website www.madisonhistory.org.