Can it be Too Soon if You're Still in It?

There are three types of people in the world right now:

1. Those who think it's too soon to enjoy pandemic media 
2. Those who don't and will gladly consume it
3. Those who will punch you in the throat if you mention anything about a pandemic ever again

​For those of you who fall under two and three, just move past this one. Like a lot of people, I suspect, a good amount of media I love involves pandemics, viruses, and post-apocalyptic wastelands after humanity has been ravaged by disease. Contagion, The Dreamers, Station Eleven, The Last of Us, Resident Evil, the board game Pandemic, etc. etc. 

It really is a trope I haven't grown tired of yet. Oh! The Girl with all the Gifts, forgot about that one. Anyways, last night I found another one via the film Little Fish. 

Little Fish follows a young couple (Olivia Cook, Jack O'Connell) as they navigate the world while a memory loss virus is spreading through society, threatening their relationship and the history they share with one another.  

Overall, Little Fish, was a great movie. While there were some scenes and sequences that didn't jive with me, these were far and few between. Both Cook and O'Connell showed vivid emotion in their character portrayals and the relationship between them was what really hit home - though I'm a sucker for tears and slow burn tragedy. Give me millennial heartbreak and we'll be best friends.

What can I say? Drama, romance, and speculative fiction are a cruel and beautiful blend when mixed correctly, and the director and writers (Chad Hartigan, Mattson Tomlin, and Aja Gabel respectively) did a masterful job. While writing this, I'm actually learning that the film began as a short story written by Gabel. ​​

Emma (Cook) and Jude (O'Connell)

​While the story may have begun as an examination of Alzheimers or dementia, being released in 2020/2021, the content takes on another layer for those in the audience. While watching, it isn't difficult to see the parallels with the current state of the global health crisis, however I think it's important to note that memory loss is a real plague on families and loved ones, and I think Little Fish does a great job of respectfully illustrating that struggle. If you can stomach pandemic-esque media, I definitely recommend giving this one a watch. As of this post, it's available to stream on Hulu. 

Cheers and be safe out there!