For years, people have been yearning for new and original stories. Having sequel and franchise overload has led to plenty of people becoming more inclined to watch TV series than movies these days. It can be hard to get amped for a movie that’s a reboot or one where audiences think they already know what will happen. For every Top Gun: Maverick, there’s a The Crow.
While some might argue that it’s too soon to consider writing a movie about the COVID-19 pandemic, that didn’t stop many artists from doing it. Now that it’s been five years since the onset of the pandemic, Hollywood has started to make bigger films with COVID lockdowns as the backdrop. Ari Aster’s upcoming drama Eddington is set during the pandemic and features Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Austin Butler, and Emma Stone. Before audiences are immersed in the New Mexico-set story, take a look at some other films that are set during the COVID-19 pandemic and the disastrous year that was 2020.
10
‘7 Days’ (2021)
7 Days is a humorous and sweet take on traditional Indian arranged marriages and two people from traditional households trying to find love. They meet over a matchmaking website and go on a first date. On the date, they both get alerts about the COVID-19 pandemic. They go back to her apartment and see that everything she had said about herself in her dating profile and on the date had been a lie. Despite being different people, they are forced to shelter in place together.
Karan Soni and Geraldine Visnawathan star in the film, bringing together the uptight angst of Soni’s character with the slacker energy of Visnawathan’s. The film has some scary scenes, as the couple learns about all that the COVID-19 pandemic brought as the film progresses. Mark Duplass, Zenobia Shroff, Aparna Nancherla, and Gita Reddy costar.
9
‘The End of Us’ (2021)
The End of Us
- Release Date
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March 26, 2021
- Runtime
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92 minutes
- Director
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Steven Kanter, Henry Loevner
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-
-
Derrick Joseph DeBlasis
Tim
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On the brink of breaking up, a couple agrees that their relationship has seen better days and it’s probably time to move on. When the pandemic hits, the couple is forced to quarantine together and, in turn, face their problems head-on. The End of Us stars Ben Coleman and Ali Vingiano as Nick and Leah, a couple who try out a separation while stuck in the same place. All the issues of their relationship come to a head as they are forced to evaluate their goals, themselves, and their relationship.
This dramedy has a decent amount of comedy in it and the performances of Coleman and Vingiano are captivating and funny. It also does look at the tough parts of relationships and tackles them head-on. It portrays real-life scenarios that plenty of audience members will relate to, such as all of a sudden feeling more enclosed and close with the people around you.
8
‘Songbird’ (2020)
Songbird
- Release Date
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December 10, 2020
- Runtime
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85 minutes
- Writers
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Adam Mason
- Producers
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Adam Goodman, Andrew Sugerman, Jason Clark, Jeanette Volturno, Marcei A. Brown, Michael Bay, Michael Kase
One of the first movies made during the pandemic was Songbird, which was written in March and April and began shooting in July 2020. The movie is set in 2024 during a phase in the pandemic where the virus has mutated into COVID-23 and the U.S. government has become authoritarian, demanding everyone do daily temperature checks on their cell phones and anyone showing signs of the virus or who are currently infected are brought to quarantine zone camps, where many are left to die. The Michael Bay-produced movie stars KJ Apa, Sofia Carson, Craig Robinson, Paul Walter Hauser, Alexandra Daddario, Demi Moore, Bradley Whitford, and Peter Stormare.
It is one of the most lived-in films made during the pandemic because it was shot during a time when a lot of cities, states, and countries were still in lockdown. Apa and Carson are in a relationship and one of them is forced to go to a quarantined zone while the other races to get them an immunity bracelet. Many critics had issues with the film, not only due to the fact that it was made when it was, but also with how bland it felt compared to real life.
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7
‘Together’ (2021)
James McAvoy and Sharon Horgan star in Together, a British TV film that was released in 2021. It was shot in 10 days and premiered on BBC Two in order to reach more people at the time. Directed by Stephen Daldry, the film depicted McAvoy and Horgan as a couple stuck in quarantine, raising their 10-year-old son and evaluating their relationship.
The dialogue is sharp and the performances are terrific, as both McAvoy and Horgan give honest and biting depictions of a couple trying to sort through a lot of feelings as their relationship falls apart. Neither of the characters is given a name and their son is only briefly shown in the film, meaning they are essentially the only two characters on screen and meant to depict a stereotype more than specific people. It won the 2022 Best Single Drama Award at the British Academy Television Awards.
6
‘The Bubble’ (2022)
Written and directed by Judd Apatow, The Bubble was released on Netflix in 2022 and focused on the cast and crew of an action sequel being forced to work inside a COVID-19 quarantine bubble. It gives a humorous look at what being in one place with many people and trying to outlast delirium is like. The movie stars Karen Gillan, Pedro Pascal, Maria Bakalova, Leslie Mann, David Duchovny, Keegan-Michael Key, Fred Armisen, Vir Das, Iris Apatow, and Peter Serafinowicz.
The film is over-the-top outrageous and features a lot of silly scenes with its amazing cast. It depicted a unique situation and was meant to bring light to a tragedy like this. The film was not well-received by critics and is not among Apatow’s best works to date.
5
‘Locked Down’ (2021)
An interesting genre mashup that’s a romantic dramedy but also a heist film, Locked Down was directed by Doug Lima and written by Steven Knight. It stars Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor as a separated couple forced to quarantine together. While doing so, they come up with a plan to steal a valuable diamond from Harrods to help with their financial situation.
The film features an all-star cast of Mindy Kaling, Stephen Merchant, Mark Gatiss, Lucy Boynton, Claes Bang, Dulé Hill, and Jazmyn Simon. The movie was released directly on HBO Max, making it easier for fans to see it during the uncertainty of returning to movie theaters.
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4
‘Host’ (2020)
A fun take on a creepy ritual, Host is a unique horror movie that used the COVID-19 pandemic to its advantage. It’s about six friends who jump on a Zoom call and conduct a séance through their computers. The movie is shot entirely on Zoom and the friends must combat the spirit they conjure. The screen goes from person to person, highlighting what the rest of the people on the call are observing.
The movie represents the early parts of COVID when people would connect with their friends any way they could, especially through video calls. It stars Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore, Emma Louise Webb, Radina Drandova, Caroline Ward, Edward Linard, and more. The film was directed and co-written by Rob Savage.
3
‘In the Earth’ (2021)
Ben Wheatley made some notable films prior to 2021’s In the Earth, including Free Fire and High-Rise. His pandemic-set horror film is one of his most critically acclaimed. It features Joel Fry as Martin, a scientist sent to an outpost to help his former colleague continue her experiments. The outpost is located in the woods and Martin is joined by Alma (Ellora Torchia) on his journey there. While traveling, they encounter Zach (Reece Shearsmith), who is not who he seems to be. The duo must battle Zach and others while deep in the woods to try and survive.
The film features a lot of natural and supernatural elements as the backdrop of the deep forest adds to its spookiness. Wheatley wrote and directed the film over the span of 15 days in September 2020, with the deep woods setting coming into play as outdoor films were some of the safest, so to speak, to film. Clint Mansell’s score is one of the best parts of the film.
2
‘Isolation’ (2021)
Isolation
- Release Date
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August 27, 2021
- Runtime
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104 minutes
- Director
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Dennie Gordon, Larry Fessenden, Andrew Kasch, Bobby Roe, Zach Passero, Adam R. Brown, Christian Pasquariello, Kyle I. Kelley, Keir Siewert, Alexandra Neary
- Writers
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Cody Goodfellow
- Producers
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Geoffrey Schaaf, Nathan Crooker, Zack Andrews, James P. Gannon, Daniel Feigl
A group of 11 directors churned out nine stories set during the pandemic, all of which were shot during lockdown. Isolation is the ultimate collaborative project, as Nathan Crooker created the first setting, which was set many months in the future of the global pandemic as it was happening. The directors all set their stories in that world and they were edited together to form Isolation.
The biggest catch for the directors was that they weren’t allowed to use Zoom and they were only allowed to use whatever equipment they had with them. It provided a unique scenario for directors Alix Austin, Adam R. Brown, Larry Fessenden, Dennie Gordon, Andrew Kasch, Kyle I. Kelley, Alexandra Neary, Christian Pasquariello, Zach Passero, Bobby Roe, and Keir Siewert. The horror anthology has some quality segments that will gross out even the most iron-stomached audience member.
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1
‘Language Lessons’ (2021)
Two underrated actors, Natalie Morales and Mark Duplass, came together in 2021 and wrote Language Lessons. In her directorial debut, Morales plays Cariño, a Spanish teacher who is hired by Adam’s (Duplass) husband, Will (Desean Terry) to give him Spanish lessons. They come as a surprise at first to Adam but he quickly learns to enjoy them as his relationship grows with Cariño via Zoom. The movie was shot entirely while Morales and Duplass were in lockdown.
As each Spanish lesson takes place, the audience learns more about each character. A major life event occurs early on in the movie and the duo cope together. While both are known for some secure projects, It was an exciting look at how a movie can be made and how a two-hander can portray a lot of deeper meanings.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
