You might be growing a little more restless with every day that passes under lockdown, but with the recently Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) being implemented in Metro Manila from May 16 to 31, many of us have to stick it out just a bit longer.
In a lot of the movies and shows you’re streaming right now–and we know it’s a lot–you’re probably living vicariously through your favorite characters that get to go outside and live their lives in a pandemic-free world. But after two months under quarantine and probably more to go, you might be looking for someone to relate to. Here are a couple of our favorite characters that show that life under lockdown might be tough, but that doesn’t mean getting through it is impossible.
The ladies of Orange is the New Black (2013)
Isolated from the outside world and locked in together, Orange Is the New Black might sound like a pretty familiar set-up for a lot of us right now, whether you’re stuck inside with family or friends. But despite all the hardships and tests of patience, these ladies remind us that despite our differences, we’re all just people with our own problems trying to get through it all. So why not get through it together?
Mark Watney from The Martian (2015)
A lot of us are lucky we get to be stuck in the comfort of our own, familiar homes right now. But imagine being stuck not just in a totally different country, but an uninhabitable planet that’ll take years to get to. Set it in the near future of 2035, astronaut Mark Watney is left for dead on Mars, but instead of sitting around in despair, he chooses to find ingenious ways to survive all on his own.
While the subject matter might sound heavy, the movie is as funny as it is smart, and might just be the right inspiration to get you going through a couple more days.
Kimmy Schmidt and the Mole Women from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015)
Created by comedy queen Tina Fey, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt follows the titular character as she navigates life as an adult in an unfamiliar world after she and three other women are rescued from an underground bunker, having been kidnapped 15 years prior by a doomsday cultist (played by our favorite mad man Jon Hamm). Despite having been trapped since the eighth grade, we see just how unbreakable Kimmy really is, whether its in flashbacks to life in the bunker or in her misadventures in the outside world.
Jimmy Livingston from Bubble Boy (2001)
In the time of social distancing, no one does it better than Bubble Boy. Born without an immune system, Jimmy Livingston is forced to live his whole life inside a sterilized bubble in his bedroom. But when the girl he loves is about to get married in three days at Niagara Falls, Jimmy builds a suit that’ll let him travel there to stop it and profess his love for her. Let this movie show you that everything you did before can still be done again–as long as you suit yourself up accordingly.
Truman Burbank from The Truman Show (1998)
Before Black Mirror came along to show us the consequences of modern technology, there was The Truman Show. While one of the film’s main points is to show how much we attach ourselves to the people we see on our screens and how a lot of it isn’t very true to life, being stuck in a routine and being unable to escape it is pretty relevant to us right now, and probably always has been. But if there’s anything we should take away from it right now, it’s that there are plenty of good things waiting for us on the other side. We just have to persevere until we get there.
Adam Webber from Blast From the Past (1999)
Living your life in an underground bunker for 35 years with only your parents and I Love Lucy for company is hardly anyone’s fantasy, but when it’s the only life you know, you make do with what you have. Adam Webber is the perfect example of this, living a pretty full and cultured life underground. Blast From the Past shows us that having nowhere to go doesn’t necessarily equate to being unproductive or being sad.
Craig Gilner from It’s Kind of a Funny Story (2010)
In this heartwarming coming-of-age film based on the cult-favorite book of the same name, sixteen-year-old Craig Gilner checks himself into a mental health facility to seek help after struggling with suicidal thoughts. During his one-week stay, Craig learns and accepts more about himself and finds friendship–and even romance–in a pretty unlikely place. If you’re struggling during these uncertain times, this film reminds you to go through things one day at a time.
Oh Geun-Sae from Parasite (2019)
If you still haven’t seen the movie that made film history last year, then better look away now because this is quite a spoiler. But if you have seen it, then you’ll know all about Geun-sae, the housekeeper’s husband who had been living in the underground bunker of the Park family’s house for years.
While he might not necessarily be the best person to look up to, having lost a bit of his sanity living in the bunker (honestly, who wouldn’t?), something we can still find positivity in is the fact that Geun-Sae and Moong-gwang still found satisfaction in the little things–basking in the sunbeams when the Parks were away, and dancing together to their favorite records. If we should take anything away from Geun-sae’s situation, it’s that we should appreciate everything, especially the things we usually take for granted on the daily.
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