While still in quarantine, I decided to watch the 2005 film directed by John Madden, Proof. I was set to see the play, but due to the COVID-19 was cancelled so I decided to watch the movie instead. The film is based on the play written by David Auburn and takes place in Chicago. I felt that watching a movie where Chicago is the main location would help me to feel more hopeful about returning to the city soon. The subject of Proof is challenging and enthralling. The film gears on scenarios related to mathematics and grief. Those two subjects cause tension to set in which reveals the film’s conflict. The questions that the main characters have do not seem correct or inaccurate based on the realizations they come across after the death of a father and genius math professor.

The main character is Catherine (played by Gwyneth Paltrow), and there was a point where she was driven and disciplined for academic success. This was all because her father, Robert (played by Anthony Hopkins), always pushed her to go beyond boundaries in terms of mathematical subjects and equations. He is a well-known and beloved professor of Mathematics at the University of Chicago. Catherine’s life hits a plateau when her father becomes sick and she withdraws from school to take care of him. She has plans to return to a prestigious school, but her motivation for success is paused after the death of her father. There are moments when they are in discussions (shown as flashbacks from when he was alive) about various subjects and other times when they are simply socializing. Catherine thinks back to those moments wishing she would have made better decisions before his death.

After his death, one of Robert’s former students, Hal (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) comes into Catherine’s life. Hal brings to her attention mathematical equations, proofs and theories which are genius and could lead to future brilliant publications. Catherine is hesitant about this at first, but then she discovers in one her father’s many notebooks of equations that she possesses similar or identical patterns to his writing and his thinking. This makes her realize she could have inherited the incredible mind of her father and she can choose whether to use it for her own success. The motivation for her is mixed because one side of her is motivated by her estranged sister, Claire (played by Hope Davis), to start a new life in New York. However, the other side of her may want to continue to do mathematics and figure out if she can solve life-changing theories like her father was able to. Catherine’s mind is blank with what to do because she feels that continuing to seek achievement through the eyes of her father will only make her feel more depressed, but she also feels she has already let him down so there can still be hope. Hal is the one who tries to encourage her to continue what her father started with the mathematical theories he had not completed.

I find Proof, the film, to be encouraging because it illustrates how one can live life for the better once a tragic scenario has happened. I felt that Catherine’s character had the opportunity to do better for herself if she continued life in the eyes of her father whose talent she inherited. The film’s moments of jumping back and forth from the past when her father was alive to the present time, gives viewers an idea of which scenarios play into her not being able to make a decision that seems right to her. The message is to not give up what one enjoys doing. Catherine is devoted to her mathematical skills and she does want to carry on the legacy of her father’s brilliance. Hal wants her to as well.

With Proof there may be theories that are revolutionary. Catherine may be able to solve them with the help of Hal, but with her father having passed, the motivation is a challenge. The film’s emotions are honest, faithful, and gripping. I found that there are moments of both satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Overall, the movie reminds viewers that life can be challenging and there is nothing wrong with struggling and wanting to get better. Catherine can get better if she puts her mind to it. I give Proof four stars.

Eliza Hittman is becoming one of those directors and writers gearing on films with issues related to young adults. She did so with Beach Rats in 2017 and does so again with Never Rarely Sometimes Always. The film begins with faded cinematography and lighting showing close-ups of Autumn’s (played by Sidney Flanigan as the lead actress) looks of aggravation, frustration, and confusion. The film has a heavy theme, but it is set quietly which helps viewers follow Autumn’s journey involving her stressful conflict. Never Rarely Sometimes Always holds many emotions and questions that are slowly answered as Autumn deals with an unplanned pregnancy.

Autumn is a seventeen-year-old high school student. She is not close to her parents.  There is unexplained tension and their communication is lacking. As the days go by, she is not feeling well, and then she realizes it is because she is pregnant. This is a portion of Autumn’s life where she feels she does not have the guts to talk to her parents about her situation or visit a clinic in her hometown in the state of Pennsylvania. The clinics in her state require parental consent for an abortion. This prompts her to go to New York with her cousin Skylar (played by Talia Ryder). In New York, the clinics do not require parental consent and that is the cousins go on this difficult journey to find a resolution for Autumn. The downside is they set out on this trip with little money and not much knowledge on what they can afford. Most of the money they have is required for Autumn’s procedure at the clinic which causes tension to slowly grow between the girls. Autumn is distraught with herself because she feels there is no other way to move forward unless she goes through with the abortion.

Never Rarely Sometimes Always spoke to me, because it shows how important it is to have communication and support when facing unplanned situations. The scenarios where Autumn and Skylar realize they have no money shows that they are still too young to navigate conflicts without the help of a parent or an adult guardian. Director Hittman shows a clear depiction of how Autumn’s brain is not developed enough to take on life-changing challenges (which is also shown in many scientific studies). Never Rarely Sometimes Always makes us ask ourselves if Autumn is going to be alright and also makes viewers hope she will be. Unfortunately, she is just someone who made a mistake and is not a bad person, but just wants to feel she is loved.

Never Rarely Sometimes Always has a heavy theme, but I thought it was done right. It was not made to be overly depressing by throwing many more irreparable consequences in with the main conflict. It only had the one conflict of the unplanned pregnancy and the difficult journey in which Autumn had to make a challenging decision. At the film’s conclusion, I wondered what was in store for Autumn based on her actions and I was left asking myself if her decisions were the right ones.  Overall, believe Never Rarely Sometimes Always deserves three and a half stars.

In the fall of 2011, Steven Soderbergh directed a film that shocked audiences around the world about how seriously a virus can impact the globe. Contagion is a dark, sad, and honest emotional thriller about the steps people should take in the event of a pandemic. When people first watched Contagion, it made them want to wash their hands after they left the film in fear. Today, the world is experiencing this pattern almost as accurately as Contagion presented it. The film has recently had many views on streaming services because of the current virus. I think people are now making the connection with Contagion because of its realism to what is happening around the world.

The plot of Contagion revolves around Beth Emhoff (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) who is traveling back from an international trip when she starts to experience flu-like symptoms. She views the symptoms as just a common cold, but later it gets worse and leads to many other health risks. Her husband, Mitch Emhoff (played by Matt Damon), starts to take the illness seriously and get tested, but it is not long until the virus grows out of control around the world. Many government officials and doctors then begin to take precautions to protect the globe during the pandemic. Research doctors, Erin Meer (played by Kate Winslet), Ellis Cheever (played by Laurence Fishbourne), Leorona Orantes (played by Marrion Cotillard) and many others try to figure out the science to determine what can prevent the flu from spreading. There is also a scientist who argues with the media, Alan Krumwiede (played by Jude Law). Krumwiede has many other beliefs which are in conflict with the media, but the pandemic continues to worsen.

In the coronavirus situation that our world is in in now, I keep thinking back to Contagion. That is because the film shows places that are closed as well as stores that remain open, but the essential items are gone.  Eventually, the stores become too overwhelmed to handle the amount of people that are trying to remain safe. The Contagion film has a unique layout where the days are listed as the film progresses. Soderbergh’s directing has this format to give his audience an idea of what may happen or may not happen. There are some resolutions, but the quarantine makes people start to lose hope and go into panic mode. To those who have not seen Contagion, it is a faithful and dark film which now seems very realistic considering what is currently going on in the world.

I will admit that the film has moments where the intensity is over-done. However, it is a thriller that will make people think about how they can help contain the spread of COVID-19 by following similar steps to the ones that Damon’s character takes to keep himself safe.  The question of the duration of the pandemic remains unanswered as it is difficult to predict when things can go back to normal. As I mentioned previously, the film has been ranking high on streaming services which is a bit surprising to me, because even though this is a captivating thriller, some may find it hard to watch now.  Still, there is no question that the film’s message to stay inside and save lives plays a big role in the pandemic today. I give Contagion three stars.  Keep in mind that for some people it may be worthy to watch now, but for others, it probably hits too close to home.