Strange Days Diary NYC

A feature-length documentary about the COVID-19 pandemic, directed by Zack Winestine.

Winestine lives in new York City, in the Far West Village with his wife and when the outbreak occurred, he decided to document his experiences on camera, resulting in an eighty-minute long account of the things that he saw.

The film consists of footage that was filmed from February 2020 to January 2021 and the footage is shown in chronological order. Frequently in between, there are title cards that contain dates and corresponding figures revealing the fatalities due to the virus both of in New York City and across the United States. The events that are documented cover a variety of occurrences that include pre-lockdown public concerns with signs warning people about the virus, news reports, businesses closing, people isolating themselves, cheering for frontline workers, the lockdown being lifted, the murder of George Floyd, protests and looting.

The events that Winestine captures will most likely seem familiar to many people who went through lockdown and the same goes for the feelings that the documentary creates such as isolation, restriction from sociable activities they enjoy, fear and uncertainty for the future. Through the footage of people protesting, the film also addresses police brutality and expresses disapproval of the government.

Apart from brief footage where he is wearing a gas mask, Winestine himeself does not appear in the film, nor does he provide voice-over, with title cards being his for of communicating his actions to the viewer.

This feature is an account of part of the global pandemic as experienced through the eyes of one person and the result is a documentary that provides a dramatic insight into how this oubreak affected New York City and many viewers will probably identify with the events that they will see.