If you’re reading this, then by now you know the growing globalconcerns over the coronavirus pandemichave now affected nearly every aspect of our lives. It’s increasingly important we collectively embrace good health habits, including (but not limited to) washing our hands, self-quarantining at home to prevent spreading or contracting the virus, and social-distancing if we must go out for necessary supplies. But, for the most part, incorporating a self-quarantine or social-distancing habit into your daily life right now can feel a bit harrowing, even if you’re with friends and loved ones at home.
As we go on this journey together — but also apart, in our own little bubbles — the need to find movies which eitherhelp us escape and find comfortor relate to thanks to fictional circumstances which echo our own is strong. Theshutdown of movie theatershas led us to rely on finding good movies to rent or stream which fall into these to categories. To this end, we present a round-up of movies which fall into the latter category, focusing on stories which force protagonists into survivalist scenarios, separate them from the pack, test their mettle against otherworldly circumstances, and remind us that going it alone as you live in a self-quarantine or social-distancing scenario doesn’t have to be scary.
In addition to the movies listed below, check out our round-ups of the best movies available to stream onNetflix,Hulu, andAmazon Prime Videoright now.
A Quiet Place
If you need some good parent figures in your life to help you figure all of (gestures widely) this out, look no further thanJohn KrasinskiandEmily BluntinA QuietPlace. Krasinski’s directorial debut garnered lots of praise back in 2018 thanks to his depiction of one family’s fight to survive in a remote farmhouse after alien monsters who track their prey through sound have decimated the population. With the help of young starMillicent SimmondsandNoah Jupe,A Quiet Placethrills thanks to some stylistic flourishes, chiefly the near-erasure of dialogue. It’s hard not to relate to a family sequestering themselves in a farmhouse a few miles away from the proverbial edge of town, attempting to keep some normalcy in their lives with family dinners and board games even when the big bad is lurking, always lurking.
You can watchA Quiet PlaceonHulu.
The Lighthouse
Oh,The Lighthouse. This isn’t the firstRobert Eggersjoint you’re gonna see on this list but there is a reason it’s coming up early in this list. StarringWillem DefoeandRobert Pattinsonas hardy 19th-century lighthouse keepers who slowly devolve into madness,The Lighthouseis the latest and best example of a movie where the pain of social-distancing hits a compelling sweet spot. Defoe and Pattinson make an exciting onscreen duo as New England wickies whose individual antics begin to wear on one another, slowly eroding their sanity as their turmoil becomes amplified by the seemingly supernatural occurrences around them. This is definitely the movie to watch if self-quarantining and social-distancing are starting to nag you, if only because you’ll probably feel glad you’re not stuck in a drafty cabin next to a lighthouse as you shutter yourself away from the world right now.
You can rentThe Lighthousenow onAmazon Prime Video(or watch it for free beginning April 1).
Netflix’sBird Boxis as meme-able as it is exciting to watch, withSandra Bullockplaying a woman fighting to survive after a monster attack fundamentally re-shapes the world.Bird Boxbrings bigA Quiet Placevibes into its mix, with folks trying to stay away from monsters who feed on your senses in order to kill you. Bullock’s performance as a hardened survivor who has experienced deep personal loss helps root this creature feature in something real and emotional, makingBird Box’s journey through the apocalypse all the more interesting.
You can watchBird BoxonNetflix.
The Happening
If you’ve made it this far, you may have sensed a theme emerging early in this round-up: Movies about people removing themselves from the company of other people in order to stay safe from some unseen, unsettling forces. Perhaps the ultimate pick in this genre which is as schlocky as it is captivating inM. Night Shyamalan’sThe Happening. Now, look, I know this isn’t the most Oscar-winning pick (by Shyamalan’s own admission, this flick operates on thelevel of B-movie). And yet, I find it strangely comforting to watch people attempt to keep their distancefrom naturebecause the trees are sick and tired of this shit and almost always fail because, well, it’s nature. Also, if anyone is gonna get us through this, it’sMark Wahlbergas a dorky science teacher.
You can watchThe Happeningon Starz for Hulu orAmazon Prime Video.
The Revenant
Do you feel emotionally ravaged by a, say, metaphorical bear? Are you lost in the wilderness… of these very uncertain times? Is the frozen landscape of, uh, unpopulated streets throwing you for a loop. Well, friend, you might have more in common with frontiersman Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) inThe Revenantthan you thought.
The movie that finally got DiCaprio his Best Actor Oscar is not the worst survival movie you’ll watch during your time in self-quarantine, but it’s certainly hindered by the fact that it doesn’t have enoughTom Hardy, playing the villain of this piece in addition to a hungry bear. Seeing Dicaprio’s Hugh be put through the physical and emotional wringer as he fights to survive in the frozen, wintry wilderness of the Dakotas circa 1823 might not immediately feel relatable as you swaddle yourself in a blanket and snack it out as you watch. But, shit get real and fast as you somehow find Hugh’s journey is your own (no? Just me?).
You can rentThe RevenantonAmazon Prime Video.
Being lost or stranded in space, left to contemplate your own humanity while trying to keep a hold on your sanity, is a corner of the storytelling world Hollywood loves to mine. In the case ofAlfonso Cuarón’sGravity, it plumbs these narrative depths with extremely powerful results.Gravityfocuses its story on Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), an astronaut who finds herself stranded, aching for home, and overwhelmed by her circumstances as she tries to get back to some good terra firma. As is frequently the case when playing a woman fighting to survive, Bullock shines as Ryan Stone. If her performance can’t give you strength during this time, I’m not sure what will.
You can rentGravityonAmazon Prime Video.
I Am Legend
There are only a few actors I trust to pull me out of a self-quarantine funk, one of them beingWill Smith. Lucky for me (and you), Smith has made a movie which explores what it means to feel like the last person on Earth after the fallout from a rapidly-spreading viral pandemic has taken a toll on the world:I Am Legend. I, for one, findI Am Legendto be deeply affecting, especially when doling out the big emotional beats culminating in the audience’s understanding of why Smith’s character, the last man on Earth (or so he thinks), is actually alone.
You can rentI Am LegendonAmazon Prime Video.
The movie which arguably defines why this article exists is the 2000Robert Zemeckis-directed,Tom Hanks-starring survivalist epic,Cast Away. In the wake of a plane crash, FedEx exec Chuck Noland(Hanks) finds himself on a deserted island. With zero knowledge or skills on how to survive in the wilderness (even if that wilderness is a beautiful tropical island), Chuck spends years fending for himself and trying to find a way back home. If the story doesn’t tug at your heartstrings, watching Hanks give an Oscar-nominated performance will.
you’re able to rentCast AwayonAmazon Prime Videoor watch on Cinemax for Hulu.
Into the Wild
Seeking a life away from the madness of the world is both a deeply relatable feeling and the central dramatic thrust ofInto the Wild, directed bySean Pennand starringEmile HirschasChris McCandless. Based on theJon Krakauernon-fiction book of the same name which tracked the real McCandless' sojourn across the U.S. in the early ’90s, Penn’sInto the Wildpartially works as a solid marketing campaign for embracing the magic of the great outdoors. Hirsch’s McCandless is seeking aHenry David Thoreau-like existence, where money doesn’t matter and the pressures to have the latest gadgets, get a job, raise a family, and all other signifiers of modern success just don’t factor into true personal happiness. McCandless' plan to put everything he owns in a backpack and ride his thumb from Georgia to Alaska is a poetic, if not slightly misguided, ambition but through Penn’s lens and with the help ofEddie Vedder’s musical contributions,Into the Wildis a pretty inviting watch.
You can rentInto the WildonAmazon Prime Video.
The Village
you’re able to laugh all you want but I am fully TeamThe Village, especially because it’s all about a commune that time forgot where (maybe) strange creatures come and eat you, like something out ofGrimm’s Fairytales. This 2004M. Night Shyamalanfilm features a deep bench of talent, includingJoaquin Phoenix,Bryce Dallas Howard,William Hurt,Sigourney Weaver,Adrien Brody,Brendan Gleeson, andCherry Jones. The premise ofThe Villagethrusts these characters into very unusual circumstances: A remote community finds themselves encountering possibly supernatural events which has been spoken about at length before. As they villagers try to protect themselves, a terrible accident thrusts our heroine (Howard) into an unexpected journey to save the man she loves. The secret of the village, as revealed by Hurt’s town leader, is the definition of a #SelfQuarantineMood, so yes, for all of its silliness and oddness, you should watchThe VillageASAP.
You can rentThe VillageonAmazon Prime Video.
