The “Everyday Heroes” of Covid-19
This documentary is a powerful way to represent the past few months.
“Everyday Heroes” is a short documentary created by over 50 collaborators over various countries to create a love letter for all the hardworking people dedicating their time during the Covid-19 pandemic to helping others.
While I am sure a lot of people now are trying to primarily consume entertainment that distracts them from the issues of the world, this one is worth checking out. I don’t see anything particularly wrong with that either. Entertainment is largely considered a form of escapism, my specific choice of escapism these past few months have been cartoons.
But you shouldn’t let the escapism blind you from the real world.
This film about the ongoing pandemic does not present its viewers with tragedy after tragedy from the last few months. Instead, it showcases the people making a difference. So it shows the tragedy that we have all been made aware of in recent months but then shows how people have been coming up with solutions.
Whether it’s nurses, social workers, or just regular upstanding citizens helping others in any way they are able to, this film celebrates them. It celebrates them for providing medical help, financial support, emotional support, and much more.
It’s not just the reminder that there are people still doing good in the world that makes this mini-documentary such a cathartic watch. It’s that it also serves as a reminder that everyone has the power to make a change.
In 2020, it seems that with every new news story and world event, things just feel completely and utterly hopeless. It’s enough to make anyone feel tired and cynical. And what better way to remind people that there is still hope through working together than by the medium of film.
Film is one of the most collaborative and expansive forms of art that there is. So the fact that so many people came together over different geographic and language barriers, to create a film is awe-inspiring.
And for full disclosure, the way I found out about this film is very fitting for its central message. A producer on the film, Wolf Adler, just happened to message me about it. I would have never heard of it if it weren’t for this cold call (or cold DM I suppose would be more accurate). He explained the documentary to me and I loved it so much that I agreed to write this piece. Also for full disclosure, despite that this is not sponsored content, I wasn’t “hired” to write this, these are just my legit thoughts on a project I happen to enjoy.
I find this fitting with the spirit of the documentary because it’s personal. It doesn’t always take something large to make a change, in a lot of cases positive change comes from personal moments. Those interactions typically stick with people more as well.
And that’s what’s so great about “Everyday Heroes”, it’s great not because it’s escapism, but because it’s optimistic, hopeful, and so wonderfully human.
