Netflix’s Taiwanese drama, Eye of the Storm, is the latest cinematic depiction of a pandemic. But rather than focus on COVID, it tells the story of the 2003 Sars epidemic through Taipei City Hospital’s Heping branch. This real event, where a devastating outbreak led to the hospital’s lockdown, serves as the film’s backdrop.
While the eye in a storm is often deceptively calm, this hospital is chaotic. Drawing inspiration from previous medical thrillers like Contagion (2011), Eye of the Storm has all the tropes of a medical drama. But the story is also peppered with melodramatic nuances, creating what I call a “medical melodrama”.
At its core is Dr Xia Zheng (Po-Chieh Wang), an accomplished but self-absorbed surgeon who unexpectedly finds himself trapped within the confines of the quarantined hospital. A noble male nurse, An Taihe (Tseng Jing Hua) and empathic surgical intern, Dr Li Xinyan (Chloe Xiang) offer contrast with his character.
