#victorian lockdown

[sleepymccoy]

As a Victorian, I'm willing to volunteer for an ankle monitor cos holy jesus fuck this is embarassing

[yetanotherfilmkid]

The Farewell (dir. Lulu Wang, 2019)

I’ve had my eye on this movie for a while and was super excited when it popped up at my local library. Lucky for me, the librarians were kind enough to mail it to me since I can’t go to get it myself (classic stage 4 lock down restrictions) and I was able to watch it with my grandma about a month ago. 

There’s a really specific emotion you get being in a place with people you knew when you were only a little kid but are now practically strangers to you and I think The Farewell has the most realistic depiction of that feeling I’ve ever seen, to the point that it actually reminded me of my own family. 

The Farewell really keeps it simple but there is a lot of love and respect in the simplicity that I admire greatly. The performances from Awkwafina as Billie and Zhao Shuzhen as Nai-Nai were particularly notable in this way, they were able to create an environment that left just as much unsaid as there was said.

One thing I found particularly interesting was that the moral dilemma at the crux of the film was never resolved; in fact, in real life, Nai-Nai continued to live in blissful ignorance until the film was released in China and the only reason Lulu Wang's family allowed her to create the film was because they assumed Nai-Nai wouldn't live to see it. Depending on your investment in the film, it is both a good thing and a bad thing. As a piece telling the story of a family affair, I actually prefer the question unanswered because there is no real right answer to the question. However as a piece centred on a question of morality, it felt like the script was shying away from what could and should be the opus of the story. More than once, we as an audience edged closer to some description of a resolution but moments later the subject is changed and we were immediately moved away.

The main draw card of this film and what makes it really special to me is the homeliness of it. It's not cinematic, it's plain, simple and honest. Simple directorial decisions like having majority of the film in Chinese, washing out the colours and leaving a lot of questions unanswered keep the story close to home. There was a really distinctive peace to the construction of this film that makes it feel very intimate and familiar. For a directorial debut, this is a wonderful beginning

Movie Rating: 7.5/10

[bundibird]

Thank goodness Labor is power both in Victoria and NSW. If it was the LibNats we STILL wouldn't be in lock down.

[sleepymccoy]

Okay, it's after curfew, is it legal for me to take my bin out?? I'm reading up and it's not super clear. Cos I'll be on my property, not the street, but I'm in an apartment block and the path to the bins is open to the street. So I'm not sure.

The thing really stopping me is it says you can't leave your home after 9pm, not your property. So maybe I wouldn't be allowed even if I had a fence and lived alone on the property. Which also implies my 1am looking at the stars last year when we had the curfew in place was illegal, which seems kinda insane ngl

But I wanna be good! So I'm checking!

[sleepymccoy]

[sleepymccoy]

"households and business just want to know that they'll get the support they need from the government in these lockdowns. And now that we have this promise in place we can have discussions about how to pay for it without politicians having to discuss it publicly" -Scotty from Marketing

In other words, "please stop bullying me in the press"

Big shout out to the Victorian state Government for absolutely publicly slagging off the federal government until they provided some meager support for individuals. Fantastic effort, love the amount of pressers they gave

Some probably not perfectly correct quotes from my favourite presser on this. I was laughing out loud, it was a joy:

"we asked multiple times for the federal government to support workers during this period and the unrelenting answer was no. Victorian workers deserve better from this government and I'm beyond disappointed" -Merlino

"the acting premier (that's Merlino) was much more reserved in his language than i will be" - Tim Pallas, who proceeded to go the fuck off for five minutes straight. the rest of the quotes are his.

"This is totally unsustainable."

"essentially what the commonwealth are saying apart from all the speeches of encouragement, is nothing."

"workers need support from the commonwealth, just like they're getting from this (state) government. "

"you'll hear a lot from the federal government saying we need to work in partnership. well, they're not a silent partner, they like making speeches. i tell you what they're not also, they're not a tangible partner. "

"we need them to step up. workers need them. the community needs them. where are they?"

one week later, they announced some funding. vic gov won! wahoo!

[sleepymccoy]

A customer accidentally said, "I love you," to me just now and my heart skipped a beat and we both blushed. Fucking touch-starved, desperate Melbournians all in a room together, huh. That lockdown was long, man

[sleepymccoy]

We're going into a lockdown tonight, and even tho it's only five days the last one was three months and everyone's very worried. Personally, I'm not. I think I could handle it. Don't want to, but could. I can def take a week, and that's what's being presented.

Regardless, my mum is upset so I met my parents for dinner tonight. First in the park, then back at theirs. And I like the photos, there's a who gives a fuck to them that I think is beautiful.

Lockdown is essential shopping only. Max two hours out of the home per day to exercise, contact is limited to one person outside your household in those two hours. 5km radius around your home only. Masks are mandatory everywhere but inside your own house.

It's intense.

Here's me the night before;

And it's all gonna be okay