One Pandemic Day

Fascinating concept to have a mix of Oakville neighbours share one specific day in their lives during the Coronavirus Pandemic lockdown. What's fascinating to me is how this film came to fruition, given that the community members provided the footage, and that the storyline and final product made it onto the big screen in under three months. Expect this documentary will also serve as a great time capsules for future generations!

I was one of the families featured in the film. It was amazing to look back on that day to see how much our perceptions of the world have changed since then. On that day, we still thought this might be temporary. We were trying to maintain the status quo and recreate "normal" at home with school, work, exercise etc. We were still glued to the news on an hourly basis, and trying to measure and assess our risk. We were all just trying to figure out how to stay safe. And it snowed that day, making it all the more not normal.

I don't know how the producers were able to go through all the footage submitted from all the different devices, but they made it work and blended it all together very well. They captured the personalities of the family members, including kids and animals. They contrasted the various experiences (good and bad) of the Oakville, ON families. The documentary also covered the impact on local small businesses trying to survive, along with multiple level of government officials working to support their constituents.

Nothing felt scripted - everything was authentic, raw and spontaneous. And the result is the movie captured the highs and lows and the reality of the families on that day. Parent struggling to get kids through a day of online learning. Hilarious adventures in baking. The challenges of working from a home office. Difficulties in getting healthcare services. This is a documentary everyone could potentially enjoy across North America.

Fantastic documentary showcasing a community in lockdown as they grapple with the novel Coronavirus during unprecedented times - highly recommend!