Covid-Inspired Cinema: A Pandemic Trilogy
By: Alison Lowenstein
Tags: Coronavirus, Film, Humor, Covid 19, Satire

Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

“Shelter in Place”

In this dramedy, middle-aged Thomas Gannet celebrates his birthday with friends at a festive, bustling Mexican restaurant. As he blows out the candle, carefully placed in the middle of his flan, he makes a simple wish — he wishes he didn’t have to go into the office. Within two weeks of his March 1st birthday, a pandemic has overtaken the United States and Thomas is no longer allowed to enter his office building. Although his birthday wish did come true, he realizes he should have wished for toilet paper because it’s in scarce supply and he only has one roll.

After a montage featuring all the home-based activities one could partake in while living alone during a pandemic — including Thomas standing in front of his house every night at seven pm, ringing a cowbell to show his appreciation for the essential workers — this roller coaster of a flick takes a sharp turn when the Shelter in Place orders are lifted. Then we see Thomas running through the streets with Here Comes the Sun blasting through his AirPods, while trying to avoid the numerous unmasked people on the running trail.

“Lockdown: The Sequel”

From the folks who brought you Shelter in Place, comes Lockdown: The Sequel. After the White House is discovered to be the host of several super spreader events, the citizens elect a new administration — but the current President refuses to leave, and not because he believes it’s safer to stay at home. Meanwhile the Anti-Masker villains are back wreaking havoc on the planet, coughing and sneezing freely in various public spaces, all in the name of freedom. The U.S. is on high alert as causalities mount and states begin to announce new lockdowns.

Thomas is now on lockdown. Despite being as socially responsible as possible, the Anti-Maskers have left him confined to his home, where he dusts off his Nintendo Switch only to find his animal friends have abandoned his neglected Animal Crossing Island. Disappointed, he heads to the kitchen to find ants nesting in his pumpernickel flour needed to restart his sour dough starter.

Unable to enjoy these initial activities that brought him joy in Shelter in Place, Thomas fondly recalls a girlfriend he’d met online in April, the one who had spotty WiFi and a broken camera, so she could only communicate via text. Although Thomas sent her money to buy a new camera, it was used for a family member’s operation, and after he gave a substantial donation to her relative’s recovery fund, she was too distracted to reply. Since they never officially broke up, Thomas tries to reach out, but his texts go unanswered.

In an effort to find entertainment, Thomas uses a code to play Among Us that was sent by his twelve-year-old nephew, but after a few rounds he gives up because he’s always the last to finish his tasks and he is constantly being suspected of being an imposter. Of course, unable to understand how a team of prepubescent boys could decimate him in a basic app-based game, he rationalizes passing on another round, because he fears that he might be put on some sort of registry for engaging in games with minors.

The film takes an avant-garde angle with a series of zoom sessions with Thomas and his therapist set to a musical score by Kenny G, culminating with Thomas staging an interpretative dance based on his emotional state in front of his window, as masked neighbors look on. After explaining his odd behavior to his therapist, Thomas is diagnosed with Pandemic Fatigue and the therapist suggests he get a pandemic puppy. For the remainder of the lockdown, Thomas scrolls through profiles of dogs on Pet Finder, until a breaking news notification alerts him that a vaccine finally arrived, and he imagines being able to enjoy basic pleasures like running on a treadmill at the gym or holding someone’s hand.

“Vaccine Wars”

The third and final film in this franchise, Vaccine Wars is an action film about several major pharmaceutical companies as they race to get their Covid-19 vaccines into America’s bloodstream. Watch the metaphorical battleground fill with ignored public health experts, tweets laced with misinformation, and anti-vaxxers.

You’ll be on the edge of your seat (in your home theater, of course) watching the action unfold as the various vaccines are authorized and approved. The final scene, where the government successfully rolls out a vaccination plan and finally approves a second stimulus bill, is the type of ending that goes down in cinematic history.