Hi there! If you’ve found your way here, you’re probably enjoying a quiet moment of self-isolation, or maybe working from home and want something to binge-watch in breaks. I feel you! As a chronically ill person, I’m very accustomed to having to spend extended periods of time lying in bed binge watching anything and everything, so I’m your go-to gal for recommendations. Right now, I’m playing it safe and have locked myself away until further notice.
I’ve whipped up a list of shows, films and documentaries that you can watch if you feel like leaning into the vaguely apocalyptic feel of 2020. But we get it, it's a scary time, so if that’s not your speed and you need something to distract you from the anxiety of the outside world, has plenty of other reliable distractions you can settle into, too.
Stay safe, wash your hands, wipe everything down and... enjoy!
(No, really: be safe out there, look out for each other, and don't fight over toilet paper)
The Last Man On Earth
Will Forte stars in this comedy about being the last man standing after a virus wipes out the rest of the country. And it’s set in 2020! Join Phil (Forte) as he travels across the country in his RV, searching for other survivors. Preferably a woman.
The Plague
It really doesn’t get more literal than this, does it? This is set during an outbreak of the bubonic plague in the magnificent Seville of 1597. Mateo, a former soldier, returns to Seville to honour his word to find and extract a dead friend’s son from the city.
Seasons 1 and 2 of The Plague are now streaming
8 Days
This time, it’s not a virus that’s gonna wipe us out, but a meteor. This sees Meteorite Horus rapidly approaching Berlin. Set to hit in precisely eight days, no one will have a chance of surviving the impact. As millions flee for the east to try to leave the impact zone, the neighbouring states refuse to let anyone in. With eight days left to live, what would you do?
Season 1 (8 episodes) of 8 Days is now streaming
Years and Years
Technically, Years and Years is less about surviving a pandemic and more about surviving… life? But I think that still counts! Starring Emma Thompson, is kind of like someone asked “what if every aspect of our lives was on track for the worst case scenario” and follows one family’s journey over 15 years as they deal with it.
Years and Years is now streaming
Into The Forest
Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood play sisters Nell and Eva, who are left in a post-apocalyptic world when a massive blackout cuts off their access to gas, electricity, water and phone service… you know, pretty much everything you need in life. With only each other to rely on, will Nell and Eva be able to adapt to their new life?
Into the Forest is now streaming
Antiviral
If you’re in the mood for a straight-up horror film that’s also on theme with a virus at the centre of the story, here’s Antiviral. You know when Lady Gaga sang “I want your ugly / I want your disease” in “Bad Romance”? And you know how every pop star has a fanbase of rabid stans? Welcome to the world of Antiviral, where Syd March is an employee at a clinic that sells injections of live viruses harvested from sick celebrities to obsessed fans.
Antiviral is now streaming
Cabin Fever
The 2016 remake of Eli Roth’s cult horror flick will hit just the right spot if you’re starting to feel a little bit trapped. Nothing like a tale of a flesh-eating virus combined with the terror of having the locals trying to murder you to put a few weeks of working from home in perspective, hey?
Cabin Fever is now streaming
Berlin Syndrome
Another thriller that might offer a little perspective on the whole social distancing/isolation thing, meet Clare (played by Australia’s own Teresa Palmer). She’s a photographer in Berlin who’s enjoying her passionate overseas fling with Andi, until one morning she wakes up to find herself locked in his apartment, where Andi intends to keep her forever. Suddenly social distancing seems very chill in comparison, right?
Berlin Syndrome is now streaming
Killing Patient Zero
Switching gears, Killing Patient Zero is a documentary film that follows the AIDS epidemic in the USA, from the 1970s to now. Gaétan Dugas – aka ‘Patient Zero’ – was vilified by the country as it scrambled for answers, and the doco is a timely reminder of the danger of false narratives and the fear of the unknown.
Killing Patient Zero is now streaming
Jabbed: Love, Fear and Vaccines
While we’re all trying to flatten the Coronavirus curve by staying indoors, now’s as good a time as any to look at the anti-vaccination movement. Jabbed examines the return of diseases that were at one point all but eradicated, but are now making a huge comeback, brought on by nervous parents skipping vaccinations for their children.
Jabbed is now streaming
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