Inevitably, with all that is going on and the desire for people to connect, it was only a matter of time before somebody capitalised and do a pandemic-themed rom-com – and so it proves with LOVE IN DANGEROUS TIMES.
Directed by THE FALLS TRILOGY director Jon Garcia and described as ‘SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE with face-masks’, it is the tale of Portland, Oregon-based playwright-cum-food delivery man Jason (Ian Stout) , struggling with family relationships and a world where he has to adjust to Zoom-based contact and dates.
Amidst the increasing statistics of people dead and infected, he finds solace in another lonely-heart in the form of Sorrel (Tiffany Groben), a teacher of English as a Second Language and the two begin to explore a platonic but friendly connection as life continues in lock-down. Naturally, as this is a rom-com and given the limitations, those age-old emotional challenges start to emerge….
LOVE IN DANGEROUS TIMES is to be applauded for being out there, albeit in a very simple place, but for most people that is probably what we demand in these challenging times. Whilst it isn’t the sort of film that would have set box-office records alight and is clearly designed to be viewed in these ever-increasing online and streaming times, it retains a nice charm, thanks in part to the two appealing and vulnerable leads of Stout and Groben, who have the right level of chemistry and reflection in their relationship on screen.
There is a fair amount of sentiment here which reflects the times we live in, with fragmented relationships that have been eroded over time by both family bonds and the pandemic itself and there was a lot of room for development of seeing these characters come to terms with unsaid emotions and feelings that have been relegated due to circumstance and maturity, which would have made for a much more deeper and meaningful film and shown some of the other emotional effects of the pandemic.
Still, it is OK as it is – and probably will be the first of other pandemic-based dramas that people are creating in reminiscence.
