A country in lockdown.  The masking of America.  An explosion of political unrest in response to a shocking display of police brutality.  The arrival of the Covid 19 pandemic was the beginning of a unique period of U.S. history, a nightmarish interval of unprecedented collective insanity.  That is the backdrop for this film adaptation of the play Love in the Time of Coronavirus.  As in the play, this moment in history is presented in the guise of a romantic comedy; the story centers on the relationship between two high school juniors, one black and one white.  Set in a small city near Minneapolis, the film recreates the atmosphere of denial, fear, paranoia, and paralysis that descended upon the nation as the lethal virus swiftly spread.  And then came the police killing of George Floyd, a brutal and senseless murder that sent shock waves around the globe.  The spontaneous outrage provoked by this demonstration of unfettered authoritarianism was channeled into an anti-government uprising the likes of which had not been seen in fifty years.  The growing pandemic and the aftermath of George Floyd’s death are both translated to the personal level by the portrayal of the impact of the disease, the murder, and their social and political consequences upon individual lives.  The interpersonal and family dynamics that the film's characters are attempting to navigate are thrown into wild disarray by the unavoidable social disruption, forced isolation, economic collapse, and political turmoil that are affecting everyone in the community, if not the entire world.  It becomes impossible to separate the personal and the political: protest rallies are met with right wing backlash from white supremacist agitators; and when these malevolent reactionary forces target the young interracial couple, the high school romance is transformed into an action thriller.

INT.   HOSPITAL/GRANDPA’S ROOM   NIGHT

  GRANDPA is in bed with his back elevated.  He is wearing a mask.  WILLIAM and CECILIA are standing next to the bed.  They are both wearing scrubs, a mask, and gloves.  WILLIAM is also wearing a scrub cap and shoe covers.  The TV is on.  

WILLIAM

It’s me, Grandpa.  William.

GRANDPA

William?  What are you doin’ in that get up?

WILLIAM

Is hospital rules, Grandpa.  Everyone gotta wear this.

CECILIA

Your grandson made special arrangements to come see you, Gus.

WILLIAM

How you doin’, Grandpa?

(pause; points to TV)

How come you watchin’ softball?

GRANDPA

I must have dozed off.

(coughs)

What’s the score?

CECILIA

You want a drink of water, Gus?

GRANDPA

No thanks, Celia.

CECILIA

All right.  I need to get going.  I’ll check back with you two in fifteen minutes.

(leaves room)

GRANDPA

She’s a good girl.

WILLIAM

They takin’ good care of you, Grandpa?

(pause)

How come you’re not watching the baseball game?  Twins are playin’ the Astros.

GRANDPA

(waves his hand dismissively at the TV)

I already seen it.  It’s all reruns.  Altuve goes three for five and they chase Odorizzi in the fifth.

WILLIAM

(startled by GRANDPA’s accurate memory, his jaw hangs open)

How you remember all that?

GRANDPA

(shakes his head)

Altuve kills ’em.  Five foot six.  They said he’d never make it in the big leagues.  But you know what he got?

WILLIAM

What?

GRANDPA

(points to his chest)

He got heart.

WILLIAM

He also got a hundred sixty million dollar contract.

GRANDPA

(points to the TV)

Yeah well these girls don’t get nothin’.  But they love the game.  And they love each other, like a good teammate should.  And you know what they got?

WILLIAM

Heart?

GRANDPA

Yeah they got heart.  But they also got self respect.  Pride.  Look at how they all got their makeup on.  Look at all them different braids and hairdos they got.

WILLIAM

That looks like a lot of work.  Guess they must be in that locker room three hours before game time.

GRANDPA

Damn right.  You can’t go in half cocked.  Gotta give it your all.  But it all starts with the self respect.  That’s the key.  Without that you ain’t got nuthin’.  You know I was the first colored firefighter in Stearns County.

WILLIAM

I know, Grandpa.  You the Jackie Robinson of the St. Cloud Fire Department.

GRANDPA

You think any of those guys wanted me in there?

WILLIAM

Probably not.

GRANDPA

But I had self respect and dignity and pride in my work.  And I showed them respect too.  By the time I retired, there wasn’t a man in that firehouse wouldn’t of laid down his life for me.  And I’d have done the same for them.  You gotta do what you love, William.  That’s the secret.

WILLIAM

Well I...I like doin’ the comedy.  I mean, sometimes you gotta make fun of yourself.  But that’s part of the job.  ’Cause if you wanna go big time, there’s a price you gotta pay.  You gotta make sacrifices to get to the top of the heap.  But everyone wants to see the pros, ’cause they the best in the business.  Them girls, they just amateurs.

GRANDPA

Oh yeah?  Look at this pitcher here.

(points to the TV)

You see how she twitch her butt on her delivery?  It’s nice, right?

WILLIAM

Yeah.

GRANDPA

Ain’t never seen Jake Odorizzi do that.

(pause)

What time is it, Willie?  Where’s your mother?  I’m finished my dalysis.  Let’s go home.

WILLIAM

Miss Celia says you can’t leave yet ’cause your heart.  You got some rhythmias and you gotta get rid of those before you go home.

(crosses to the EKG machine and points to the EKG tracing)

You see this here the EKG machine that measures your heart.

(accidentally displaces one of the EKG leads)

Uh oh!

On the EKG machine, the tracing on the monitor flatlines; a red light starts FLASHING in synchrony with a repetitive BEEP.

WILLIAM

(looking at GRANDPA)

Grandpa, you OK?

GRANDPA

What’d you do?

WILLIAM

Oh, man!

(turns back to the EKG machine)

Grandpa, you see where this wire go?

WILLIAM plugs the dangling EKG lead into a vacant receptacle but the FLASHING and BEEPING continue.

WILLIAM

Oh, man!  It’s gotta be one of these.

Unseen by WILLIAM, SUMANA enters the room.  Her gloved hand reaches across WILLIAM’s shoulder, moves the EKG lead to a different plug, and presses a button on the machine.  The EKG signal returns to the monitor and the FLASHING and BEEPING stop.

WILLIAM

(turning to face SUMANA)

Oh Miss Celia.  I was just...

WILLIAM jumps when he sees that it was SUMANA behind him, not CECILIA.  SUMANA is wearing a mask and gloves.

SUMANA

Who are you?

WILLIAM stares at SUMANA for several seconds and then speaks to her in a deep, adult voice with a formal, stilted tone.

WILLIAM

Oh hello there.  I’m Dr. Masterson, and I was evaluating the patient’s EKG because it seems that he was having some rhythmias.

(picks up a clipboard, GRANDPA's medical chart, at the foot of the bed)

But I’m happy to report that it seems to have cleared up for now.  It’s fortunate that you came in, however, since I had just noted that the EKG machine was malfunctioning.

GRANDPA

Say what?  What in hell you talkin’ about?

SUMANA

May I see your hospital i.d.?

WILLIAM

Of course.

(slaps at his pockets)

Oh drat!  It would seem

CECILIA enters the room.  She is behind SUMANA and facing WILLIAM.

WILLIAM

that I left my identification card in my street clothes, so I’ll have to return to my locker as soon as

CECILIA waves at WILLIAM and shakes her head behind SUMANA’s back.

WILLIAM

I have the free time and attempt to retrieve it from my trousers.

(to CECILIA)

Hello, Nurse.  Did you have a question for me?  Because I...

SUMANA

(turns to face CECILIA)

Who is this person?

CECILIA

I believe that’s Mr. Compton’s grandson William.

SUMANA

There are no visitors allowed in this ward.

CECILIA

It was approved by his physician, Sumana.

CECILIA takes the clipboard from WILLIAM and hands it to SUMANA.  SUMANA looks at the clipboard for several seconds and then returns it to the foot of the bed.  She crosses to the door, opens it, turns to CECILIA and beckons to her with her index finger.  CECILIA and SUMANA exit the room.