chat window on the side of the screen. The
only catch is that it has to be on Netflix for it
to work.
“It looks like there’s a lot to watch on the Netflix
library, but there actually isn’t when you boil it
down to movies that everybody wants to see,”
Laffly said.
So far they’ve watched “Magnolia,” “Tootsie”
and “Kingpin.”
Time zones can also prove challenging. Her
group of eight people are all in New York. It’s
been more difficult scheduling something
with her sister, who lives in California and has a
3-year-old.
Billy Donnelly, a film fan in North Carolina,
curated his own coronavirus-themed film
festival for friends and family from movies
available on Amazon Prime and Netflix that they
could then come back and discuss together on
Facebook or Instagram.
“They could do it on their own time, at their own
pace,” he said. “We need human contact right
now and this is close.”
The films included “Groundhog Day,”
“Miracle Mile,” “Space Jam,” “The Interview”
and “Snowpiercer.”
The virtual viewing parties have provided
a welcome distraction for many in these
homebound times. But it’s not necessarily a
permanent substitute for the alternative.
“Everybody is just really excited to have
something to do,” Laffly said. “Afterwards
hopefully we can continue, but
in person.”