COVIDream (Short)
I think independent films are going to have the best takes on COVID-19 if they tackle the subject directly. I already have seen a few over the past year, and while I’m not sure if I would put “COVIDream” on the level of the better films, I think there’s some value to be found in it as a reflection of the anxiety COVID inspired in many of us. The brainchild of director Pierre Glénat (who also stars as one of the main characters in the film) and composer Philippe Lebraud, it’s technique is very old fashioned, like something out of the 1980s, but it’s story is simple. We begin with Caro (Caroline Lavergne); she has a mask on, and is at a park waiting for her family to arrive. Eventually, Maeva (Maeva Rasolofoarison) meets her, and then, their father (Glénat’s character). The mother is missing; she is busy at work, the father tries to reassure them, but they are still on edge. “COVIDream” hits on the anxiety many of us have had about our loved ones, and our inability to see them, over the past year, in a simple but affecting way that will not be soon forgotten as the world gets back to normal. This is what the best films about the past year will reflect, and why they will endure.
