In these strange times, one topic that keeps coming up in movie discussion is people slyly observing the similarities between the current COVID-19 crisis and whatever movie they’re watching; whether it’s people straight-up looking up movies like Contagion, which is about a worldwide pandemic, noticing that the thing they’re currently watching has a virus as a plot point, or even simply watching a story about a group of people locked together. This is understandable; I usually take pleasure in stumbling across a story that happens to be tapping into an idea I’ve been thinking about. But honestly, I’m so sick and tired of the whole thing that I’m finding myself drawn to fiction that makes me think about literally anything else, which of course has lead me to wondering what is the good fiction to watch to escape from this crisis? When I brought this up in conversation, beloved Soluter Miller said that, as a story about highly competent people travelling vast distances, Star Trek is the obvious choice; by extension, any speculative fiction set in a big, wide world to explore is a good choice, bringing in Lord Of The Rings or Avatar: The Last Airbender* too. I would also argue that some kind of deeply social experience is what’s needed right now. I am, of course, one of many people who bought Animal Crossing: New Horizons as a low stakes way to connect to other people, but I was thinking of something that simulates social activity. People have been using sitcoms and their visiting-old-friends feel to get through tough times since the dawn of television.

What are you watching, reading, or playing to escape from the dredges of quarantine? What would you recommend to someone if they haven’t seen it as a way of escaping quarantine?

*I know I hate it, but it’s there as an option.