Judy Comer has a new film.
One of her TV movies aired when starring in "Runaway Players" was a box office success, a sequel was expected to be developed, and "The Last Duel" in the C position was about to be released.
Produced by British public television channel Channel 4, Aid reflects every aspect of the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020 from the perspective of an aged care home.
Rotten Tomatoes only received a few praises, and before it was scored, Douban took the lead in opening 8.1 points, and a lot of praise has been accumulated on the Internet.
The United Kingdom, which has done a mess of epidemic prevention, has actually made a high-scoring anti-epidemic film.
Let's start with our "little pervert" Judy Comer.
Most people know her because of the 2018 episode "Kill Eve," in which she played a psychotic assassin and staged an epic cat-and-mouse game with a British Security Service logistics agent played by Sandra Ng.
As the series continued to air, Judy Comer gained favor with Hollywood, appearing in Star Wars Episode 9: Rise of Skywalker in 2019 as the mother of the heroine Rey.
This year, he has two Hollywood A-grade productions in one go, and both are female number one.
As a British actress, she still continues to make films in the UK.
Last year's British drama "New Chatter Life" had 8.9 points in Douban.
Many viewers went to see the episode she starred in, otherwise it would not be "popular fried chicken".
"Aid" is a new play she continues to shoot in the United Kingdom, and the actor she has cooperated with is Stephen Graham, who has starred in crime masterpieces such as "The Irishman", "The Gang of New York", and "Robbery".
Stephen Graham plays Tony, an early-onset Alzheimer's patient in a nursing home, while Judy Comer plays Sarah, a new caregiver in the nursing home.
The film begins with a 25-minute account of her journey from applying for a job to becoming familiar with her job.
Her interview didn't go well.
The head of the nursing home wanted to "get away with it", but he annoyed Sarah.
Maybe you will be confused, this dean is also a little spit that she has a certificate but not much practical experience, many HR will also ask questions about the interviewer, how to blow up?
Because Sarah is an unsociable person, does not know much about dealing with people, in short, is not very easy to get along with.
But because of Tony's presence, Sarah had a reason to accept the job.
It is also because of the pleasure of getting along with Tony that Sarah has found a sense of comfort and presence that she usually does not have.
There is also a sense of mission.
The plot also delves into her family life.
Getting along with my family is a mess.
This is very important for laying the groundwork.
While shaping the character, it explains why she pays so much attention to the elderly and patients of the caregivers in the future.
Otherwise the whole movie becomes a virgin film.
Only in nursing homes can Sarah find her dignity and worth.
She wants to defend this hard-won "gift."
So when an outbreak breaks out and a nursing home is invaded by the virus, she risks losing the most precious thing in her life.
The perspective and atmosphere of "Aid" and many domestic anti-epidemic films are different.
There is no fearless dedication, no earth-shattering rescue, no soundtrack full of sensationalism, only the helplessness and struggle of tiny individuals in the epidemic era.
As we all know, when the epidemic broke out, the British epidemic prevention measures were simply a piece of shit.
From the perspective of a nursing home, "Aid" shows what it is like for ordinary people to suffer in this situation.
Because of the outbreak of the virus, the hospital beds began to be tight, and Sarah's nursing home took over the task of accommodating 8 elderly people who were originally living in the hospital.
When the hospital sent the elderly, Sarah and other caregivers did not know to wear masks.
Because they were only told that they needed to wear a mask near an infected person.
And the old people who were sent were not infected, they did not know.
What's even more ironic is that when Sarah asked the hospital staff if the old man had been tested, we had to wear a mask if infected. If you don't have it, you don't have to bring it according to the regulations, right?
The staff replied that it was not my job.
That is, the infection is not infected with his fart.
As a result, the hospital successfully sent the virus to a nursing home.
Old people are constantly infected.
There were originally 20 guests, plus 8 from the hospital.
First, 9 people died of infection;
Then 12 more people were infected...
The place Sarah is trying to protect is about to be destroyed by the virus.
So she didn't leave, but chose to stay, doing everything she could to help the people she wanted to protect.
As mentioned earlier, she did this not entirely out of professionalism, but more for personal reasons, she valued this place more than her own family.
When the character's behavior has a reasonable, human motivation, it successfully avoids the feeling of false emptiness.
This is not the greatest advantage of "Aid", which is often just the basic operation of a good work.
The bigger highlight is that the director uses a long 20-minute long shot to show the sense of powerlessness of the individual in the face of the epidemic.
Judy Comer dedicated one of the best performances of her acting career.
The elderly in the nursing home coughed wildly due to the infection, and Sarah could only call an ambulance;
However, the ambulance was delayed, and she could only take care of the elderly herself;
However, she is not a professional nurse, and it is useless to see that taking medicine is useless, and the condition of the elderly is deteriorating;
She can only be forced to ask Tony's help...
The long shots bring a strong sense of presence, and the audience can feel empathy, they are like people who have been abandoned in the last days, and can only use their own meager strength to fight the terrible virus.
Therefore, the English title "help" actually has the meaning of asking for help.
The subtitles for help also appear several times in the film, suggesting that people in nursing homes need assistance.
However, british state power gave them little help.
There is no correct understanding of the virus, there is not enough protective equipment, and it is like a headless fly.
As a result, these nursing homes became the initial outbreak points in the UK.
From March to June 2020, 40% of COVID-19 victims were nursing home residents.
Therefore, "Aid" chose this angle, taking a small view of the big, showing the individual's encounters, and criticizing the british official incompetence.
Sarah, who has nowhere to go, can't watch As Tony also get infected.
She could only use her own way to send Tony out of the nursing home that had fallen.
Going elsewhere to quarantine for 14 days, with Tony "fleeing", became the climax of the whole film.
In fact, whether the plan is successful or not, the end is bound to be a tragedy.
Sarah's personal strength simply cannot fight the virus, the system.
Even if Tony is rescued from the nursing home, and the British authorities are still in the Buddhist department to prevent the epidemic, then the whole country will not have a safe place.
Sarah's actions are futile, and she can only have a little hope to save a vulnerable group like Tony by complaining to the camera, accusing the country of indifference, and breaking the fourth wall to tell the audience that there is obviously a mistake in it.
Some people say that the function of literature, film and television works is not only to criticize and reflect.
But at the same time, it is not just for praise and consolation.
As far as the anti-epidemic theme is concerned, it is worth exploring more different angles, and we also look forward to domestic productions such as "There is Her in the World" that can bloom with different lights.