It’s planted firmly in time, but that may be its biggest flaw. Glass Onion combines all three elements of pandemic storytelling, but isn’t really about the pandemic. Ten years from now, when someone watches this movie, it will be clear when it takes place not only because of the constant discussions of cancel culture and Twitch, but because of how the characters interact with a peak-pandemic world. Glass Onion also uses these elements as a way to mark it in its place in time. It brings to mind the Succession reasoning: the rich are exempt from Covid, even though they are human too. The satire is evident from the start, especially in the scene where each member of the ensemble has a mysterious substance sprayed into their throat that apparently means they are immune from infection. Everything hinges on their public images in a world revolving around power. Every character in the whodunit, every suspect, is in a place where the pandemic is affecting their lives and puts them in a place where they need influence: Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson) hosts superspreader events, Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn) has to campaign for Senate via Zoom, etc. The dystopia it portrays isn’t a zombie apocalypse, but a world that is run by the mega-rich. Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion mixes all three of these elements together. It’s a harsh reminder of the times, but it’s an effective one.
Songbird on netflix movie#
Movies like Kimi, an action movie that used the pandemic to raise the stakes on the protagonist’s agoraphobia, used the hallmarks of the pandemic to telegraph exactly when it was happening, much like a movie set in the past would use dated technology or retro costumes. Yet for those looking for that extra element of realism, a story set in a world affected by the pandemic, not a story centered around the pandemic, suddenly became possible. HBO MaxĪs the world found a tentative - yet still irreparably changed - sense of normalcy, movies were allowed to go back to “normal” too. Kimi used the pandemic as worldbuilding, not a critical theme. But does it do so successfully? Before we examine that, let’s break down the three approaches. Glass Onion, somehow, combines all three of them.
Movies took a slower approach just because of their slower production schedule, but when we got our first glimpses of how the pandemic affected the silver screen, there were three clear approaches. The ultra rich, like the Roys, could afford to flaunt regulations. Succession, one of the most present and topical dramas in production, chose to ignore it altogether - but it makes sense. Other shows, like HBO’s Gossip Girl, optimistically referred to the pandemic in the past tense, even though it was in no way over.
Songbird on netflix serial#
Medical serials like The Good Doctor and New Amsterdam quickly incorporated PPE and isolation into its serial drama.
The question of how the pandemic would be handled on screen was answered first by television. But how does the shockingly modern whodunit handle the pandemic - and how could it be handled better? A perfect example of this is Glass Onion, Netflix’s follow-up to Rian Johnson’s Knives Out. While before theatrical movies were pushed to streaming, we are now seeing streaming movies get a shot in theaters. Now in 2022, there’s a big push for a return to the theaters, even though Covid isn’t eradicated yet. Movies were delayed, canceled, or sent to streaming. When there’s an airborne illness ruining and ending people’s lives, audiences aren’t exactly scrambling to voluntarily sit in a communal room with strangers.
The Covid-19 pandemic affected every industry, but the movie business was hit especially hard.
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