Besides The movie describes the daily routine of the sole character Daphne during the pandemic. As she is unable to work due to social isolation, to occupy her time she focuses on activities closer to what she most love, which is music. And that is what annoys her neighbor.

Synopsis:

Athens, Greece 2020. Quarantine days. Daphne, a female young jazz singer of a foreign origin who lives in Greece , decides to "break down" the wall that separates her from her annoying neighbor.

In this short movie, the empathy awakens to the protagonist when urgency arises. So, when she finds out that the neighbor, who has been her enemy during the isolation period, is in a critical crisis due to coronavirus, she does all she can to save his life. By doing so, she reaches her inner good that has been deeply buried by negative thoughts. Considering this, Antivirus is important to unlock the good in each person, so that in a moment of crisis it is still there, otherwise one might take the wrong decision. Preferably, everyone should use this goodness before any crisis.

In this sense, Anastasia Sima not only directs, but she is also the writer and the producer in Antivirus. Ksenia Dania is the only actor in the cast, and the movie is entirely shot on a mobile phone. In other words, it could hardly be more efficient, and economical. The only indispensable item is the idea.

In this matter, the story is extremely current. It is not meant to be watched in the years to come, but right now. It touches the universal theme of empathy, so necessary these days so that the enemy remains the virus and not our neighbors. 

To tell her routine, director Anastasia Sima tries two formats of assembly. In the first part, it is basically one long take, while in the second, after Daphne returns from the market, the movie uses many shorter takes. Comparing both situations, the first part flows more smoothly than the second one. Probably the use of the mobile phone as a camera induces us to naturally expect no cuts in the takes.

The use of post-its glued to the door is a smart solution to communicate that the neighbor is a frequent complainer, as each time he protests he does it by leaving one of these reminders on Daphne’s door. However, from the moment the movie starts, we lose track of how many days pass until she witnesses the Covid-19 crisis of the neighbor. Here, the director could have used the same post-its glued to the door in a certain order that it could inform the number of days, or some other equivalent solution.

During a period of crisis, like the one we are facing now with the pandemic of Covid-19, creativity must be stressed to overcome the difficulties. The short film Antivirus, by director Anastasia Sima, is a good example of how to work within restrictions. 

Film Critic, the founder of Leitura Filmica

Antivirus maintains the same tone throughout its whole duration. It would benefit from some variations in this topic, whether by depicting the discussions with more harshness, or by inserting some suspense in the moment the protagonist finds the neighbor in crisis.
On the other hand, the conclusion with the “thank you” post-it is perfectly in tune with the overall mood of the movie, and also with the social isolation moment.

Most importantly, Antivirus succeeds in communicating its pressing message, and it must be appraised for achieving this production amid the restrictions on filming during the pandemic. It is an indispensable exercise to watch movies like this during the social isolation.