The Hollywood indie thriller *Self-Isolated* focuses on what it does to one’s brain and heart to stay during a pandemic. Directed and co-written with Chad Ridgely, the film takes the minimalist approach to storytelling – applying the physically constricted setting and limited cast to heighten the sense of paranoia and fear.
It is the story of Susan Mayfield who remains confined in her house suffering from some unknown disease during a severe global pandemic. Flashbacks and surreal dream sequences tell Susan’s story of suffering both physically and psychologically. Her boyfriend, Ridgely, offers some lighter moments but underlines the deep isolation. The world outside her home becomes hostile, and the entire atmosphere of this film assumes tenseness.
It is a product both of the era of COVID-19 in terms of their theme and also of the restrictions under which they shot. The narrow places, the scarce interactions convey not just budgetary constraints but perhaps broader social conditions of a pandemic. The movie touches on isolation, fear of contagion, and the fragility of connections between humans, pointing at the potential emotional cost of such crises.
Self Isolated
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Even if the flashbacks used in the movie are a bit too much, and the conclusion is not fully in line with the rest of the mood, *Self-Isolated* still can provide a thoroughly interesting experience in terms of psychology. The thrillmanity of the whole thriller combined with its unique story-telling, places it as an original product within the over-populated genre of pandemic-thriller.
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