Netflix’s ‘Glass Onion’ Is A Flashback To The Weirdest Days Of Quarantine

The vast majority of film and television made in the last couple of years tends to gloss over or outright ignore the pandemic; it is a brutal, trying time that most want to forget, even if it’s still ongoing.

But Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion takes a snapshot of peak pandemic, of quarantine, listless boredom, and varying attitudes to masks.

One moment in particular, where we see Philip (Hugh Grant), the husband of Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), popping onscreen just for a moment, confirming fan theories about Blanc’s sexuality, and also reigniting an old quarantine memory, back when everyone was obsessed with making their own bread.

For Philip appears covered in flour, having clearly been in the midst of a baking spree, as Blanc lounges in his bathtub, bored out of his mind without a mystery to solve. While Blanc resorts to playing a murder mystery, Among Us, with friends (a game also popularized by quarantine) Phillip is one of those hobbyist bakers who contributed to the great flour shortage.

The wholesome activity exploded in popularity during those long quarantine months, and prompted an amusing pushback from longtime bakers who were annoyed that fickle trend-followers were snapping up all the yeast and flour.

One Medium article titled “Why You Need To Stop Baking Bread” exploded into virality, and was subsequently deleted, as the author (who, ironically, was named Caren) scolded the rush of new bakers, complaining that bread aficionados such as herself were reduced to “competing with a bunch of dilettante bakers who care nothing for anyone but themselves.”

It was a strange time, of intense mental strain, and that shot of Hugh Grant coated in flour brought back a rush of blurred memories, from a period where just about everyone was pushed too far into the weird corners of the internet and desperately needed to log off, so they could bake a loaf, or touch grass.

The film also shows the character’s different approaches to masks and social distancing, to outline their personalities. The alt-right “manosphere” influencer Duke (Dave Bautista) doesn’t bother to wear a mask, while likeable-but-flawed celebrity Birdie (Kate Hudson) wore a monumentally useless mesh mask, a literal empty gesture (and also a jab at Lana Del Rey), while the rest of the characters wear masks as expected.

Moments later, they are all given some kind of instant, preventative cure that allows them to take their masks off, and head to an island to party with a feckless billionaire, echoing the 40th birthday bash of Kim Kardashian, which took place on a private island during quarantine, and sparked a huge backlash against the star.

While Glass Onion wasn’t a movie specifically about the pandemic, it cleverly incorporates some of the most memorable moments of quarantine into the setting, sparking memories of that surreal time, when everyone briefly became a baker.