a sociopolitical satire on the corona pandemic – the real virus is the hypocrisy of politicians, exploitation and discrimination.
Mass media today became political fast food. People allow themselves to be spoon-fed with adrenaline-driven high-sugar ’news junk’. Mental diet is as important as the quality of food we eat. To paraphrase Ludwig Feuerbach, who wrote ‘you’re what you eat’ – ‘you’re what you watch and read’.
HOW and WHY I made this film
My camera was my partner in crime during the lockdown/coronacrisis. Black humor was my vaccine.
I shot a lot of footage – observing people during the Easter weekend over the course of three days – from Good Friday to Easter Sunday. The timing of course was not accidental. I used Easter as a metaphor of the transition, since the world has changed a lot after the beginning of the corona-crisis in March 2020. In my opinion the change brought both misery and hope – we as humanity should learn this precious lesson. The ‘invisible enemy’ as many refer to coronavirus, is in fact a blessing in disguise. I realized this when I was filming people in the city. The atmosphere was very surreal. The weather was exceptionally warm. The trees were in full bloom. But at the same time there was some quite tension in the air as the majority of people stayed at home. I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life. However the city center of Leiden was very busy, full of life. The youth (students) were totally neglecting all the lockdown prohibitions, as some tourists. But I also saw a lot of middle-aged and even elderly people enjoying life (as long as they could), sailing on the sloops and boats along the beautiful canals – Old and New Rhine, which encircle the heart of Leiden. The heart of the city was pulsating with life. My initial feeling of disbelief and even indignation about the careless behavior of some citizens – a feast in time of plague – was replaced by simple joy of life. Instead of being angry and judgmental I became infected by cheerfulness. Especially when I saw a face mask on a statue of the flower seller on the Fishbridge (Visbrug). A silly student prank made me laugh. Of course it was provocative and not respectful to all doctors and nurses, who were fighting in the overcrowded hospitals for the lives of corona-patients, but I saw it as a symbol of the victory of life over death, as celebration of spring and love. I just fell in love with the invisible enemy. However I realized that the invisible enemy ‘loved’ all of us too, and weak, and poor, and young, and old. It didn’t discriminate.