Life in a Day 2020

Last updated

Life in a Day 2020
Life in a Day 2020 poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Kevin Macdonald
Produced byJack Arbuthnott
Tim Partridge
Edited byMdhamiri Á Nkemi
Nse Asuquo
Sam Rice-Edwards
Music by Matthew Herbert
Harry Gregson-Williams
Production
companies
RSA Films
Flying Object
Distributed by YouTube Originals
Release dates
  • February 1, 2021 (2021-02-01)(Sundance)
  • February 6, 2021 (2021-02-06)(YouTube)
Running time
86 minutes
CountryUnited States

Life in a Day 2020 is a 2021 American crowd-sourced documentary film directed by Kevin Macdonald. The sequel to the 2011 film Life in a Day, it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on February 1, 2021, and on YouTube February 6, to generally favorable critical reviews. [1] Like its predecessor, it comprises a wide array of selected video clips showing things happening in the world on one day: July 25, 2020. [2]

Contents

Summary

Life in a Day 2020 begins at dawn, with a montage of mothers giving birth. Then, morning rises and people awaken, going about their lives; among them is a homeless man affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. A montage of Internet content creators filming is followed by a child named Sondos celebrating her birthday. People fall in love and kiss each other. After a man fails to attract the attention of a neighboring crush, people marry, while a man is rejected and a couple breaks up.

After showing students graduating, the film cuts to the mother of Alexander "ATG" Lucas, who was featured in the original Life in a Day (2011), saying he died on February 18, 2020, due to COVID-19 complications. This prefaces a montage featuring dead elderly and graveyards, and another featuring the effects of the pandemic, such as isolation, vaccine experimenting, and a surge in video calling. Meanwhile, a man devotes himself to not wearing masks, a trans woman does street dancing amid harassment, and a former soldier reflects on his time serving.

Another montage plays, featuring a student driver, a baby learning to walk, an elder woman learning to cycle, a disabled woman testing her robotic arm, and a hyacinth macaw named Love doing her first flight. A traffic officer gives tickets to people parking cars at red curbs. An elderly expresses gratitude in his life, while another laments existentially on the pandemic. A paralyzed man talks about people treating him as if he is not human. Another montage covers the worldwide George Floyd protests, followed by a retreat leader saying everyone is connected through the cosmos.

A montage features various physical labor, with a sweeper harshly criticized by a citizen and a shoeshine worker struggling to attract people amid fear of COVID-19. The homeless man from earlier flies drones as a way of coping, while others skydive, and a horse rider wins a race. A trainspotter achieves his goal of spotting all seven Class I railroads in a day. Amid isolation, people find connections with animals, and a furry says the fashion style is his way of self-expression. Another montage laments air pollution and natural disasters.

People talk about old memories and attend religious activities. An expecting centenarian urges happiness in life. The woman that failed in getting pregnant earlier says she wants her future kids to live in a kind society. As night falls, stores close; some people go home, while others rejoice in celebrations. Some experience joy, others sorrow. Before sleeping, a boy says he wishes people can communicate with the dead. The film ends with a girl trying to put viewers to peace by hearing waves crashing in the dark.

Theme and production

The announcement of the film was published on the movie's YouTube channel on July 8, 2020, [3] coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic, the George Floyd protests, natural disasters, etc., which Sundance Film Festival director Tabitha Jackson sees as "the perfect time to premiere this for a new edition of a work that so powerfully demonstrates the power of cinematic storytelling to reveal and celebrate our shared humanity". [2]

The film follows the same structure as its 2011 predecessor, comprising selected vlogs of people all around the world, talking about themselves on the same day, July 25, 2020. Submissions were open from July 25 to August 2. [4] [5] A team of multilingual editors and researchers selected noteworthy submissions. [2]

Kevin Macdonald sees the film as a "time capsule," stating: [6]

I guess any movie reflects its moment, whether you consciously want it to or not, but this even more so. I think it will be a time capsule for the ages. We're living through this time of great political upheaval, and that's maybe at the forefront of our thoughts. But for a lot of people, the lived day-to-day experience, which is what I'm hoping we'll capture in the film, is not going to be about those big issues, at least not directly. It's going to be about, you know, 'it's bath time for the baby,' or, 'what do I do on my Saturday off,' or, 'I don't have enough food to eat, and here's how I get by.' I always say to people, 'What's boring to you, what's normal to you, is gonna be fascinating to other people.'

The producers did not compensate individual film-makers whose work was included for their creative efforts, although they were credited as co-directors of the project. [7]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, Life in a Day 2020 has an approval rating of 70% based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 6.70/10. [8] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 54 out of 100 based on reviews from 7 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [9]

Most critics came to an agreement that the film is a comprehensive depiction of life during the COVID-19 pandemic, [10] [11] [12] with the Chicago Sun-Times calling it "wholly predictable yet undeniably effective", [13] and Variety comparing it favorably with its predecessor for focusing on highlighting themes of unity, though noted that this approach caused the film to lack themes of "seeking and stressing life’s more diverse and disorienting juxtapositions". [14] Many also praise the choice of videos and compilation style, which they observed to be emotional and heartwarming, feelings ambient in a variety of ways during the pandemic, [15] [10] [11] though Variety called certain choices "irregular", [14] and Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian criticized its apparent context-free nature and that the compilation "look[s] more like a corporate ad". He, however, praised many of the videos, which he found to be lively. [16]

The San Francisco Chronicle's G. Allen Johnson went so far as comparing the film to that of the Voyager Golden Record, labeling Life in a Day 2020 "an ethnographic record of our planet in a moment of time", and expresses anticipation for future follow-ups. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Krasinski</span> American actor and filmmaker (born 1979)

John Burke Krasinski is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his role as Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom The Office (2005–2013), where he was also a producer and occasional director. He directed, co-wrote and co-starred in the 2018 horror film A Quiet Place, for which Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He has since written and directed the sequel A Quiet Place Part II (2020).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cobie Smulders</span> Canadian actress (born 1982)

Jacoba Francisca Maria "Cobie" Smulders is a Canadian actress. She is known for her starring role as Robin Scherbatsky in the CBS series How I Met Your Mother (2005–2014) and as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero franchise, starting with the film The Avengers (2012).

MAGFest is a non-profit organization and video game, art, music, and culture festival. They hold multiple events throughout the year, with their flagship event being an annual festival held in the Washington metropolitan area the National Harbor. The events feature concerts by chiptune artists and video game cover bands, educational panels and activities, free-to-play arcade cabinets, a bring your own computer (BYOC) LAN party, community jam spaces, and charity speedruns & auctions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bo Burnham</span> American comedian and musician (born 1990)

Robert Pickering Burnham is an American stand-up comedian, musician, actor, filmmaker, and YouTuber. Burnham's work combines elements of filmmaking with music, sketch, and stand-up comedy, commonly with a dramatic, satirical, or tragic twist that is often left open to interpretation.

<i>Life in a Day</i> (2011 film) 2011 crowdsourced documentary film

Life in a Day is a crowd-sourced documentary film comprising an arranged series of video clips selected from 80,000 clips submitted to the YouTube video sharing website, the clips showing respective occurrences from around the world on a single day, 24 July 2010.

<i>Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck</i> 2015 American documentary about Kurt Cobain

Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck is a 2015 American documentary film about Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain. The film was directed by Brett Morgen and premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. It received a limited theatrical release worldwide and premiered on television in the United States on HBO on May 4, 2015. The documentary chronicles the life of Kurt Cobain from his birth in Aberdeen, Washington, in 1967, through his troubled early family life and teenage years and rise to fame as frontman of Nirvana, up to his suicide in April 1994 in Seattle at the age of 27.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gigi Gorgeous</span> Canadian YouTuber, socialite, actress, and model (born 1992)

Gigi Loren Lazzarato Getty, known professionally as Gigi Gorgeous Getty, is a Canadian YouTuber, socialite, actress, and model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doctor Mike</span> Russian-American celebrity doctor (born 1989)

Mikhail "Mike" Oskarovich Varshavski, known online as Doctor Mike, is a Russian-born American YouTuber, internet personality, certified family physician, philanthropist, and professional boxer. His Instagram account went viral after he was featured in BuzzFeed and People magazine named him The Sexiest Doctor Alive in 2015. He has a YouTube channel on which he posts medically themed entertainment videos and debunks false medical claims.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JP Sears</span> American Internet personality and YouTuber

Jonathan Patrick Sears, known online as AwakenWithJP, is an American conservative YouTube comedian. Sears produces satirical YouTube videos where he parodies lifestyle gurus, wellness coaches, and government policies.

<i>Whitney</i> (2018 film) 2018 film

Whitney is a 2018 documentary film about the American singer and actress Whitney Houston. The film was directed by Kevin Macdonald and produced by Simon Chinn, Jonathan Chinn and Lisa Erspamer. Whitney was screened out of competition at the world premiere as part of the 2018 Cannes Film Festival on 16 May 2018 with a cinema release on 6 July 2018. The film was also released on home media where it debuted at number one on the UK Official Music Video Chart. The film received positive reviews from critics and audiences and grossed $4.7 million worldwide at the box office. In December 2018, Whitney was nominated at the 61st Grammy Awards for Best Music Film.

<i>The Family Man</i> (Indian TV series) Indian spy thriller television series

The Family Man is an Indian Hindi-language spy action thriller streaming television series created by Raj & DK for Amazon Prime Video and features Manoj Bajpayee as Srikant Tiwari, a middle-class man secretly working as an intelligence officer for the Threat Analysis and Surveillance Cell (TASC), a fictitious branch of the National Investigation Agency. It also stars Priyamani, Sharad Kelkar, Neeraj Madhav, Sharib Hashmi, Dalip Tahil, Sunny Hinduja and Shreya Dhanwanthary. The series is produced and directed by Raj & D.K, who also co-wrote the story and screenplay with Suman Kumar, with dialogue penned by Sumit Arora and Kumar. Samantha Ruth Prabhu was hired for the second season of the series as the main antagonist, making her foray into the digital medium with Suparn S. Verma directing a section of the season.

<i>Jackass Forever</i> 2022 film by Jeff Tremaine

Jackass Forever is a 2022 American reality slapstick comedy film directed and produced by Jeff Tremaine, along with producers Spike Jonze and Johnny Knoxville, and was released by Paramount Pictures. It is the fourth main installment in the Jackass film series, following Jackass 3D (2010). The film stars original Jackass members Knoxville, Steve-O, Dave England, Wee Man, Danger Ehren, Chris Pontius, Preston Lacy, as well as newcomers Sean "Poopies" McInerney, Zach Holmes, Jasper Dolphin, Eric Manaka, Rachel Wolfson, the Jackass film crew, and celebrity guests. This is the first Jackass film not to feature Ryan Dunn following his death in 2011 and the first without Bam Margera being a primary cast member as he was fired during production, appearing in only one skit.

Ronen Rubinstein is an Israeli-born American actor, environmental activist and lead singer of the rock band Nights in Stereo. He is best known for his roles as T. K. Strand in 9-1-1: Lone Star, Matt Webb in the spinoff series American Horror Stories, both created by Ryan Murphy, and as Nathan in the Netflix series Orange Is The New Black.

The COVID-19 pandemic in the Isle of Man is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus was confirmed to have reached the British crown dependency of the Isle of Man on 19 March 2020, when a man returning from Spain via Liverpool tested positive. Community transmission was first confirmed on 22 March on the island.

Plandemic is a trilogy of conspiracy theory films produced by Mikki Willis, promoting misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic. They feature Judy Mikovits, a discredited American researcher and prominent anti-vaccine activist. The first video, Plandemic: The Hidden Agenda Behind Covid-19, was released on May 4, 2020, under Willis' production company Elevate Films. The second film, Plandemic Indoctornation, which includes more interviewees, was released on August 18 by Brian Rose's distributor of conspiracy theory related films, London Real. Later on June 3, 2023, Plandemic 3: The Great Awakening was released on The Highwire, a website devoted to conspiracy theories run by anti-vaccine activist Del Bigtree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in popular culture</span> References to the COVID-19 pandemic in popular culture

The COVID-19 pandemic swept the world in the early months of 2020, causing massive economic and social disruption. In addition to the disease itself, populations have often dealt with lockdowns, shortages and pandemic fatigue, political and cultural turmoil. This made the pandemic a time of exceptional stress, driving some people to seek peaceful escapism in media and others to consume media concerning fictional pandemics in an effort to make sense of the event. Themes include contagion, isolation and loss of control. The pandemic also impacted people's use of social media as well as the sports industry.

<i>Bo Burnham: Inside</i> 2021 comedy special by Bo Burnham

Bo Burnham: Inside is a 2021 musical special written, directed, filmed, edited, and performed by American comedian Bo Burnham. Created alone by Burnham in the guest house of his Los Angeles home during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was released on Netflix on May 30, 2021. Featuring a variety of songs and sketches about his day-to-day life indoors, it depicts Burnham's deteriorating mental health, explores themes of performativity and his relationship to the internet and the audience it helped him reach, and addresses topics such as climate change and social movements. Other segments discuss online activities such as FaceTiming one's mother, posting on Instagram, sexting, and livestreaming video games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghib Ojisan</span> Japanese travel YouTuber based in Singapore

Ghib Ojisan, known also as Ghibli Ojisan or Ken, is a Japanese travel YouTuber based in Singapore. His name, Ghib Ojisan, is a pseudonym for his YouTube channel which he chose because he was inspired by Studio Ghibli's animations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marsh Family</span> English musical group

The Marsh Family are a British family musical group. The group consists of parents Ben and Danielle Marsh and their children Alfie, Thomas, Ella, and Tess Marsh. The family live in Faversham, a town in Kent in South East England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaylee Mansfield</span> American actress (born 2009)

Shaylee Ava Mansfield is an American actress. Mansfield, who is deaf, first gained recognition by making YouTube videos in which she told Christmas stories in American Sign Language. Mansfield appeared in an "Unforgettable Stories" video advertisement by Disney Parks, in which she met Minnie Mouse, who was learning sign language at Walt Disney World. The video quickly went viral and became one of Disney's most-watched advertisements.

References

  1. ↑ Desborough, Jenny (July 11, 2020). "Life In A Day 2020: How YOU can take part in new Life In A Day film". Express.co.uk. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Ritman, Alex (July 8, 2020). "Kevin Macdonald, Ridley Scott to Reunite for 'Life in a Day 2020,' 10 Years on From Crowdsourced Original". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Make a movie with Ridley Scott and Kevin Macdonald | Film your day July 25". Life in a Day (via YouTube). July 8, 2020. Archived from the original on March 25, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Life in a Day". YouTube Originals. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  5. ↑ ""Life in a Day 2020": οι Ρίντλεϊ Σκοτ & Κέβιν ΜακΝτόναλντ επιστρέφουν σ' ένα πρότζεκτ που μοιάζει πιο επίκαιρο από ποτέ - FLIX". Flix (in Greek). July 8, 2020. Archived from the original on July 11, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  6. ↑ Aquilina, Tyler (July 8, 2020). "YouTube wants your quarantine videos (and more) for 'Life in a Day 2020'". EW.com. Archived from the original on July 11, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Life in a Day 2020: FAQs". docs.google.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  8. ↑ Life in a Day 2020 (2021), archived from the original on April 22, 2022, retrieved April 7, 2021
  9. ↑ "Life in a Day 2020". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  10. 1 2 Collin, Robbie (February 2, 2021). "Life in a Day 2020, review: peering into the lives of others was more fun before Covid". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  11. 1 2 "Review: If July 25 went by too fast for you, 'Life in a Day 2020' relives the highs and lows". Los Angeles Times. February 5, 2021. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  12. 1 2 Johnson, G. Allen. "Review: 'Life in a Day 2020' shows diversity of human existence on a single pandemic-era day". Datebook | San Francisco Arts & Entertainment Guide. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  13. ↑ Roeper, Richard (February 4, 2021). "'Life in a Day 2020': A lot can happen worldwide in 24 hours". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  14. 1 2 Lodge, Guy (February 2, 2021). "'Life in a Day 2020' Review: Slickly Crowdsourced YouTube Doc Sticks to Old Forms in a Changing Age of Video". Variety. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Sundance Film Festival 2021: Black Talent and Great Films Shine". dwightbrownink.com. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Life in a Day 2020 review – ambitious, bizarre and hugely exasperating". The Guardian. February 2, 2021. Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.