The Same Storm

IN A NUTSHELL: This film is a moving portrait of the lives of twenty-four characters during the spring during the turbulent months of the quarantine of the pandemic in 2020. The movie was written and directed by Peter Hedges

THINGS I LIKED: The movie starts by showing clips from Zoom meetings with the actors in the cast. It's really fun to see their homes. The ensemble includes an impressive list: Mary-Louise Parker, Judith Light, Moses Ingram, Ron Livingston, Alison Pill, Elaine May, Raul Castillo, Noma Dumezweni, Rosemarie DeWitt, Daphne Rubin-Vega, and so many more!

I love all of the shout-outs to nurses as heroes. I teach classes at a nursing school.

I also loved how each Zoom conversation showed how everyone was connected as they led into new conversations. One person from each clip spills over into the next clip's story.

Some of the stories will evoke a tear or two from your eyes, especially if they resonate with your personal experience of the quarantine during 2020.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: This would have been a more effective movie if it had been released a year ago.

One of the problems with this movie is that we go to theaters to watch movies to escape from our lives. Instead, this movie WAS our life during the Covid quarantine. Some viewers may not want to relive those horrible memories.

There are some heated conversations between siblings about politics.

This movie makes me grateful for my family. They don't yell and scream at each other like many of the people in this movie.

Ultimately, the movie was depressing, yet hopeful at moments. I guess that describes the pandemic, eh?

TIPS FOR PARENTS: Profanity and F-bombs We see a topless woman as a digital sex worker from her home online.

A guy asks his girlfriend to send him sexual pictures of herself.

Spanish is spoken without subtitles A bi-racial, gay couple fight about racism There are some conversations between a father and daughter about the Black Lives Matter protests.

THEMES: Habit Control Hope Family Racism Politics Pandemic Fear Loneliness Medical workers Therapy Depression Anxiety.

Greetings again from the darkness. When is it too soon to look back? We all experienced the pandemic, and yet, things aren't quite normal again ... at least not the 'old' normal. Talented writer-director Peter Hedges (the underrated PIECES OF APRIL, 2003) shows us the various ways in which the pandemic affected folks, and how zoom and other virtual connections became the lifeline to the outside world for many.

You will surely recognize many of the faces being filmed by smart phones and zoom recordings. These include: Mary-Louise Parker, Sandra Oh, the great Elaine May, Rosemarie Dewitt, Ron Livingston, Alison Pill, John Gallagher Jr, Noma Dumezweni, Judith Light, and many others. Twenty-four characters in all (according to the synopsis), and we see most of them in two different scenarios. We see young people worried about old people, and vice versa. We see parents worried about kids, and kids worried about parents. Significant others check in on their "better half", while a 'ground zero' nurse searches for a different kind of companionship and escape. We see the struggles of teachers and parents, and witness the loss of loved ones. There is even an online yoga class, a virtual AA meeting, and the challenges of Tele-doc.

You will recognize most of these situations and exchanges, whether you went through them yourself, or heard about them from friends or family members. What's obvious is the heightened stress level of every person during this unique time period. The effects of isolation and loneliness are expertly portrayed here, and we should all be quite appreciative of zoom meetings, Facetime, and all other virtual connection applications. Only you can decide if it's too soon or not, but either way, we can tip our caps to Peter Hedges and the actors.

Opening in theaters on October 14, 2022.