Too Soon for Covid Content?

It was only a matter of time before Hollywood started creating movies and television shows inspired by today’s ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Looking back at past films, studios have frequently created stories based on historical events and tragedies like World War II, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, and the sinking of the Titanic. Not to mention, many of these historical films have gone on to receive high critical acclaim and countless awards, possibly even earning a title as one of the greatest films of all time. So, what makes a Covid-inspired movie or show different from any other content that covers a catastrophic situation?

First off, I do not think that every movie and show that addresses the coronavirus is inherently terrible. Several shows have introduced Covid-19 in a way that makes sense and adds value to the plot. One example of this is the primetime drama Grey’s Anatomy, which has incorporated the pandemic into their most recent season. As a show primarily based on the present-day medical community, it feels almost like a no-brainer that the ABC network decided to make this choice. In this way, they are able to portray the dramatic reality we are currently living in. And according to many healthcare workers, it seems like Grey’s Anatomy has been tackling this new storyline with much accuracy (for the most part), but also empathy.

This medical drama does not just stop with Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) wearing a face mask and calling it a day. It also portrays the mental and physical toll this pandemic has had on healthcare workers through and through. On top of having to wear layers of medical equipment for hours on end, they are continuously forced to watch dozens of their patients die daily. In addition, the show also highlights how the pandemic has disproportionately affected Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color. "Do you realize half of our Covid patients are Black and brown? In a city that's 7% Black?" notes Jackson Avery, one of the recurring characters played by Jesse Williams. The hardships and experiences that have come out of this pandemic are clearly echoed through the characters and storyline within the world of Grey’s Anatomy.

One of my main concerns with some of the movies and shows that incorporate the coronavirus into their plot, is whether this aspect actually adds anything significantly meaningful to the story as a whole, or if it is merely an attempt to add extra flare. Unfortunately, it often seems to be the latter.

Although the popular drama series This is Us nearly managed to successfully intertwine the Pearson generational family saga along with the coronavirus and other pandemic-adjacent news, it disappointingly fell short. In the season premiere, the NBC show briefly touched on relevant social and health issues, such as the Black Lives Matter movement and Covid-19, respectively. But what they ultimately lacked was a sense of consistency. While characters were often depicted wearing face masks, there also seemed to be many instances where others were not adhering to the Covid-19 guidelines, ultimately posing the question of whether this element was even necessary to begin with. If anything, the lack of consistency with the coronavirus theme creates a disorienting feel to the overall storyline.

There have also been many recent Contagion-esque films that have been making headlines throughout this pandemic. For instance, Michael Bay’s 2020 release entitled Songbird follows the Covid-19 virus four years into the pandemic after it has mutated into Covid-23. In this fictionalized version of the United States, people are required to take daily temperature checks. Those who are infected with this virus strain are immediately taken from their homes and sent into quarantine camps called “Q-Zones,” which are essentially concentration camps for the sick.

In stark contrast to Grey’s Anatomy and This is Us, Songbird does not even attempt to hide its exploitativeness. I even tried watching it, but I honestly could not get past the first hour of the film (mainly attributed to how extreme the story is, in addition to the cringe-worthy acting). Everything about it just seemed utterly wrong: the timing, message, and, I might go as far as to say, its existence. What exactly is this film contributing to society other than inciting unnecessary fear and adding shock value to the traumatic experiences we are still currently processing?

While I personally found Songbird to be a tasteless disaster, this does not mean that filmmakers should not create movies and shows that start conversations about uncomfortable topics - including the pandemic. This is actually one of the main reasons why I enjoy watching films. The very nature of film is to reflect on what is relevant and important to society and its culture, in a cinematically stunning way. However, I think what gets lost in translation is when these kinds of stories should be told and shared with everyone.

I feel as though there should be an unwritten rule to wait some years until people have been able to make peace with what they have endured before stepping forward and making a movie based on a significant historical tragedy. Without leaving time and space for this grace period, the film would likely come off as incredibly insensitive - as it did in the case of Songbird - and possibly even become outdated.

By the time a Covid movie is released, perhaps a year after filming and production, the pandemic will have significantly evolved. This is evident in our reality where new issues and topics are unfolding by the week. For example, less than a week into 2021 there was a storming of the US Capitol. Who would have expected that? The movie would no longer be accurate, or at least demonstrate a sense of depth and perspective about the pandemic. Putting it differently, the filmmaker would not be able to paint the full picture with all of its intricacies. Consider this: would it make any sense to film a documentary about an artist’s career that has only just begun? Obviously not, so why is it not the same case for films inspired by this pandemic?

Maybe the main goal in releasing these Covid projects so early into the pandemic is to provide a sense of hope - a guiding light in a tunnel of darkness. On the surface, this seems to be the case with many new light-hearted comedies and romances gracing a number of streaming services like Coastal Elites, Love in the Time of Corona, Connecting... and Social Distance. From a look at the trailers, they all appear to be fairly accurate depictions of what quarantine life is like for the average person: zoom calls one after another and the constant, dreadful feeling of isolation from being home alone. These shows might have checked all the boxes, but it does not necessarily mean that anyone really wants them.

I can not imagine how creatively restricting it must feel for these filmmakers and writers to not be able to create the type of content they actually desire with this pandemic still underway. They were unable to continue filming their projects or even had to completely trash their original scripts, so they made the logical move to make movies or shows about the topic that is most accessible to them: Covid-19.

But after a year of being in this pandemic, the last thing anyone wants is to be reminded of our unfortunate reality, much less have to watch a fictionalized version of it. Many of us simply want content that will offer an escape from the hardships and challenges we face in our real lives, which is why most Covid content does not work.

When I’m not working on my tedious school assignments or dealing with Karens at the register, I’m likely going to be watching a movie or series to wind down and relax. If I were to watch any of the pandemic-inspired content I mentioned earlier, I would simply be adding onto the load of stress and anxiety I already have. It would simply be doing me a disservice.

So, while I appreciate the attempt made to create movies and shows based on a topic we can all resonate a little too well with, I would like to kindly decline the offer. A few years from now when the pandemic is all good and gone (crossing my fingers), Hollywood will have had enough time to develop a better understanding of this global situation. Hopefully, in the future, this new Covid content will open up a meaningful conversation about the long-lasting effects this health crisis will leave on society, rather than causing pandemonium among critics over how untimely and outrageous the story was. For now, I will gladly stick with the hundreds of thousands of movies and series made prior to Covid-19, and maybe you should too.