Some Isolation Films For Quarantine

by Carter Sims

Hi, my name is Carter and I really like watching films. I may have no professional training in film, but I know that talking about films is sometimes even better than watching them. More specifically, I know about how films make viewers feel and think about aspects of their own lives. I hope this column continues conversations, and maybe generates some new ones, concerning old, new, and future films, alike.

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127 Hours - (Dir. Danny Boyle)

In January, everyone was going outside and leading their daily lives just like they always had. We would go to the store to buy food and go to parties on the weekend to see our friends, getting caught in the motions. Paying little attention to what we had, and with far too much impatience to appreciate these moments, by March, we had been placed into quarantine, honorably, in the interest of public health. The common longing that I believe all of us have for these routines to return is documented in the 2010 survival film, 127 Hours. Following Aron Ralston’s entrapment in a crevice, arm between a boulder and a canyon wall, the film explores how physical isolation and dire circumstance can lead individuals to appreciate the mundane, the aforementioned routines that society is currently missing. I believe that watching this film during quarantine can help people to realize that there is an inherent desire to return to normalcy and that desire can be used to our advantage to usher in a more complete understanding of ourselves.

Roma – (Dir. Alfonso Cuarón)

The 2018 drama film, Roma, follows Cleo, a domestic worker in revolutionary 1970s Mexico City. Over the course of the story, we come to empathize with Cleo as she traverses a trying period of her life in which she feels fundamentally disconnected from society. I believe that Roma is a film that can provide us with insight into how, even in the presence of others, individuals can feel indescribably isolated due to factors beyond their control and that despite our most courageous efforts, these feelings can persist. Viewers may find peace in sympathizing with Cleo’s intense feelings of isolation while feeling isolated themselves due to COVID-19. Through Cleo’s experiences we come to understand that external upheaval often parallels internal upheaval as well.

The Shining – (Dir. Stanley Kubrick)

On the converse, The Shining, is a psychological horror film about how isolation can drive a person to madness. Not unlike the situation we currently face in quarantine, Jack, a recovering alcoholic, suffers from cabin fever after months of isolation. Jack, however, is soon corrupted by his own personal demons and the paranormal demons which haunt the Overlook Hotel. With winter’s arrival and the creeping anxiety that the walls are closing in on him, Jack goes insane by taking an axe to chase his family across the “empty” hotel. What I love about this film is its ability to show that isolation can force one’s character to devolve into another unworldly version of themselves. Additionally, what I think is relatable to us in our current situation is how this isolation can make us feel trapped to the point of inhuman retaliation. I hope watching this film can provide the viewer with relief if they feel they may be going insane. Just don't take an axe to your family.