- The best way to celebrate the end of an awful year is Netflix’s newly released mockumentary “Death to 2020.”
- From the creators of Black Mirror, the film perfectly sums up everyone’s feelings about a year that brought to the forefront some of the worst possible things that could happen to humanity,
- It wasn’t just the novel coronavirus pandemic that ruined 2020, but a series of unpalatable events that seemed incredible at times. Yet they all happened in real life.
2020 feels like it took forever to end, but it also passed much faster than other years. That’s because the novel coronavirus pandemic ruined most of 2020, and normal life came to a screeching halt for most people. Spending that much time at home and limiting interactions with others will alter one’s perception of time. Sadly, the COVID-19 health crisis wasn’t the only bad thing happening this year. It’s as if all the planets were perfectly aligned for incredible stuff to happen while we were all fighting for our lives. Monster wildfires, the Trump impeachment, the dawn of a new world war, COVID-19 lockdowns, video chat, the COVID-19 misinformation campaigns on social media, anti-maskers, the resurgence of racism and police brutality, massive explosions, the Trump COVID-19 infection, COVID-19 vaccine resistance, Trump’s handling of the US presidential elections. They all happened in 2020. Even Wonder Woman 1984. These are just a few of the year’s annoying highlights and a good reminder of why we have to celebrate the imminent death of 2020.
But if you really want to make the most of what should be a quiet New Year’s Eve party with the people in your household, then there’s a proper way to celebrate the end of one of the most annoying years in recent memory. That’s Netflix’s Death to 2020, which was just launched on the streaming service. After all, remembering all the bad and strange stuff that happened throughout 2020 might help us avoid making the same mistakes in the very near future.
Death to 2020 is an original Netflix creation, a mockumentary from the Black Mirror creators’ minds that will make sure that you remember all the bad things that happened this year. It’s brilliantly done, featuring an impressive cast of actors playing fake personalities or fake regular people ready to express their thoughts, professional opinions, or feelings on what happened in 2020 via documentary-style interviews:
- Samuel L. Jackson as Dash Bracket, a reporter for the New Yorkerly News
- Hugh Grant as Tennyson Foss, a historian
- Lisa Kudrow as Jeanetta Grace Susan, a non-official conservative spokesperson
- Leslie Jones as Dr. Maggie Gravel, a behavioral psychologist
- Joe Keery as Duke Goolies, a gig economy millennial
- Kumail Nanjiani as Bark Multiverse, CEO of Shreekr, a technology company
- Tracey Ullman as Queen Elizabeth II
- Cristin Milioti as Kathy Flowers, a self-described soccer mom, representing a stereotypical “Karen”
- Diane Morgan as Gemma Nerrick, an average citizen
- Samson Kayo as Pyrex Flask, a scientist
- Laurence Fishburne as the narrator
- Charlie Brooker as James, the director
Without giving anything away, Tennyson Foss’s impeccable historical references are easily one of the highlights of the comedy. And you’ll just love Jeaetta’s conservative takes. But there are plenty of other standout moments that will put a smile on your face about an awful year.
Death to 2020 was released on Netflix on December 27th, during an incredibly busy time for movie premieres. Just a few days earlier, The Midnight Sun premiered on Netflix, followed by a busy Christmas Day schedule: Wonder Woman 1984 and Soul launched on that day on
