On Lockdown is grounded in harsh reality

Over a spoken word poem, the realities of lockdown are rendered in chalky, pale blues and teals, full of shadows drawn in blocky groupings that emphasize isolation and stasis. 

Exploring the feeling of quarantine during a revolution, this poem creates a soft, easy flow that leads us through the struggles of surviving at home. When the Black Lives Matter movement touches on this world, the tension breaks and the narrator has to decide if safety is more important than confronting the systemic racism that exists outside of their apartment. With only a few scenes and full of small, repeating motions, On Lockdown is another world, dark and heavy, but full of momentum, even in miniature. 

Directed by Calum Macdiarmid and produced by Roxanne Artesona in partnership with Durable Goods, the film wrestles with the desire to stand still and do something. The words, written by poet and Motionpoems founder Todd Boss, describes the cosmic expanse of months in just a few minutes.