Covid Love

Covid Love is a short romantic comedy by Dutch director René Nuijens. The 6-minute original, fun, and quirky cinematic production distills the pandemic era’s pervasive anxiety into a single, intimate encounter between two strangers. Dick and Mary meet each other for the first time during the post-pandemic at an empty restaurant, monitored by a hyper-vigilant waiter, who enforces social distancing with a robotic rigidity. The film opens with cautious optimism, as it suggests the era’s tentative re-emergence into social life. “Well, so I’m Dick. And this is the first time I’m allowed to go out and date again” (1:10–1:16), after Mary dramatically takes off the face shield, rubber gloves, and hair cloth—gestures that almost feel ceremonial—Dick introduces himself. The date proceeds along with a philosophical but flirtatious gourmetten experience. Gourmetten is Dutch culinary tradition, a supposedly relaxed, social way of eating where everyone cooks their own small portions at the table, resembling a mini barbeque. However, normally a convivial experience, gourmettenis skillfully used as an ironic plot device here: a setup designed for togetherness at a time where separation is encouraged.

The film offers an unexpected twist. Love prevails for a brief moment, only to be dramatically quenched by lockdown paranoia. The romantic tension diminishes into panic and fear when Mary accidentally coughs as she chokes on food. “It was just the pea. No, Dick, it was just the pea” (Covid Love 4:30–4:32), as Mary screams, two people in hazmat suits runs over and forcibly escort her away. At this very moment, the viewers recognize the absurdity of attempting romance under such clinical conditions. Through this romantic setup, the film satirizes how necessary pandemic regulations could also feel invasive and dehumanizing. Yet, the film is not a harsh critique of public health measures. Instead, it offers a humorous and artistic reflection on the collective anxiety and overreactions that marked the early pandemic period.

Visually, it employs rich and saturated colors. The lighting and the strategic framing of the two protagonists create an almost dreamlike atmosphere, as if the restaurant is a fragile, illusory bubble before reality intrudes. The restaurant, framed almost like a stage, becomes a fragile, theatrical space, almost like an illusory bubble of normalcy that collapses the moment reality intrudes. The film invites viewers to reflect on the idea of human sociality, and the surreal attempts to return to normal life in the early post-lockdown era, while granting a casual laugh to the audience.