Dystopian Viewing For Dystopian Times

I am, arguably, the world's biggest Musical Theatre fan. My car's name is Alexandra Hondalton…. and that's only the beginning. I also love a good comedy, and don't get me started on my willingness to watch every romantic drama ever made, whether it's a "good" movie or not.

That said, I haven't watched Lin Manuel Miranda's, In The Heights, even though it has been available online for months. I have Come From Away (one of my top five shows) sitting in my Apple TV, unwatched. I keep going past Tick Tick...Boom on Netflix (another top 5 show).

Want to know what I have watched and enjoyed lately?

Squid Games. Twice. It captures the true darkness of poverty and how people exploit others- it gives full acknoledgement of things society loves to brush over.

I watched the entire Purge series last year. I gave Handmaid's Tale an entire rewatch. I'm stoked about the new Showtime series, Yellowjackets, which explores the lives of a group of teens during and after a plane crash. New series, La Brea is also hitting the spot at the moment- what will this group of people do- how will they survive being dropped into a sinkhole?? I'm on the edge of my seat. Yes, this is a plot I can get on board with.

Before we go any further, yes I'm okay. You don't need to call anyone.

But I just thought it was worth discussing. How does a girl who would still list Full House (and Fuller House) among her favorites turn her back on all things optimistic and happy?

Well, on the bright side, I'm sure I'll be back. In the mean time, I feel like there's a certain comfort to these dystopian plots.

During normal times I love a boy-meets girl story- especially as a woman in her late 30s. But especially as a woman in her late 30s--- 20 months later into my 30s than the last time I was able to date safely, I'm just not into that type of story.

I'm not exactly aspiring for the melodramatic plot of Love, Actually, or even the goofy situational comedy structure of Friends. But at the moment, when my only safe interaction with people can occur with a mask, I don't want to watch anything where people are falling in love or building a family, or even a career.

Because having these things be out of the question for my life- arguably my three biggest priorities, falling in love, building a family, and building a career are mostly out of the question.

Under normal circumstances, A Castle For Christmas hits the spot. (That's one of the top movies on Netflix at the moment.) I did watch this film, and okay, I did enjoy it. I also really loved seeing an older lead- seeing Brooke Shields' character getting a "second chance" at love. But on the other hand, I'm here, 39 years old, with a bunch of deactivated dating profiles, unable to get vaccinated by recommendation of my doctor based on my medical issues, and everything that isn't super dystopian just feels like a slap in the face.

Unless someone makes this movie. See, it's about a 39 year old woman in LA, living in a guest house during a pandemic. She's immunocompromised and can't see anyone without a mask- the world is using the phrase "Post pandemic" in spite of over 1000 new cases a day sweeping the city with a scary new variant just hitting the news... She starts to gain followers on TikTok and connects with someone who she realizes is the 39 year old man who lives in the front house. He's not immunocompromised..he's just conscientious. He understands that being vaccinated doesn't mean you can't spread or catch the virus, so he lives simply.

The man and woman take out their trash to the shared can at the same time and hit it off. They start taking out their trash in smaller amounts in hopes of crossing paths. A montage occurs where they get to know one another. They barely notice as the pandemic ends, and together they adopt a slew of children...

See? I'm okay. I'm just as starry-eyed as ever. But for now, anything other than that exact movie makes me want to barf. If I see a movie about a 39 year old woman meeting a 39 year old man, I want to see dinosaurs running around LA as a result of a lab trying to greedily create a prehistoric museum.

It's the only thing that makes it bearable to watch the world around me "open" prematurely as everyone ignores the fact that we're not actually "Post Covid."