The pandemic film has mostly become a term of derision. Filmmakers rushed to stay busy as the entire industry shut down, and we were subject to claustrophobic diary vomit (Malcolm & Marie) and pretentious claptrap (Songbird). Even the good pandemic films, like Host, felt underwhelming. On paper, Ride the Eagle reads like a bored creative's first draft of lil indie film: Nick from New Girl, a dead mother, a dog, a literal quest for redemption. But it plays out as a small labor of love shot in 10 days with a highly riffed script written between two friends. It manages to avoid the pitfalls of both indie films and pandemic films. It feels small but not light, sad but not maudlin, joyful but not manic. It moves forward like a hiker in the woods: determined yet indolent.

Join us as we trace the life of the best pandemic film out there, Ride the Eagle