FILMS DURING THE PANDEMIC

     While it's obvious that the Pandemic has influenced so many aspects of life, let's add one other element that's not so obvious: watching film.  True, seeing movies, primarily in our living rooms, is more intimate, it is often disorientating and disconcerting as well.  We are looking forward to the post Pandemic time when, as Frances Mcdormand said in her April Oscar acceptance speech, we can "gather everyone we know, go to the movie theatre, and watch all the motion picture that were nominated this past year."

     Ms. Mcdormand has a good point, of course. But we also shouldn't overlook the positive factors of film viewing during the Pandemic, where formats like streaming and tv scripted series were being profusely offered. Looking forward to stories broadcast on a regular, lengthy bases, around the clock, gave us a daily routine far from thinking about Covid 19 's inherent dangers. Wasn't it better pondering what would happen to the characters in the series, OZARK, rather than worrying about how many new COVID cases were appearing in our area? Wasn't it better to talk with a friend about how horrible the Orthodox Jewish community was treating a woman in UNORTHODOX, rather than obsess about a family member who had the deadly virus?

    Films made during the Pandemic had other similar qualities. Many catered to audiences that were likely watching, highlighting certain demographics; thus, series like THE KAMINSKY METHOD and GRACE AND FRANKIE were ideal to chronicle the relationships of older men and women, respectively.

     Also consider these cinematic characteristics during the Pandemic:  for example, many characters were uncommonly ambiguous and idiosyncratic. Jason Bateman and Laura Linney in "Ozark" were often generous and kind, while other times they were seriously manipulative and morally unstable. The female chess champion in THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT was both a child and a woman, both an independent and also a needy person. Rosamund Pike in I CARE A LOT had contradictory traits as well: on the surface she was a beautiful, caring person who helped older people live a meaningful existence; in reality, she was a violent, evil sociopath. Even a film like Aaron Sorkin's THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 presented real individuals ( including Tom Hayden ) as wavering between theoretical political ideology and practical protest tactics.

     Character-wise, consistent traits continued with feisty, strong women, which are always important during any period. Yet, we must also not forget the importance of style during the Pandemic. Consider the fantasy surrounding "The Queen's Gambit," where the protagonist would look up at the ceiling and see her chess board's configurations. The surreal atmosphere created in the Oscar-winning documentary, MY OCTOPUS TEACHER, was central to its potency and "other worldliness." Thus, the "look" of a movie often provided visual significance related to its theme.

     Finally, the similar narrative organization of these particular films was also salient: their juxtaposition of the past, present and future could be considered non-narrative as a way of highlighting the plot. "The Queen's Gambit," "I Care a Lot," " My Octopus Teacher," and " The Trial of the Chicago 7" all suggested the role that the past played in the characters' lives and

goals, showing how the past would impact on the future as well. For better or worse.

     However, it remains to be seen whether Post Pandemic movies themselves will be better or worse. We are hoping for the better.