The “Outside” review from my point of view

The very short short story “Outside” by Etgar Keret is very relatable, especially in terms of my personal experiences during the period of the Covid-19 pandemic and politics climate of Thailand.

            Similar to the story in which the narrator had spent 120 days indoors, I also spent a lot of time at home because of the Covid-19 pandemic situation in Thailand. Since the situation is serious, there are social distancing rules and everyone is encouraged to stay at home. Adults work from home and as a student, I have to study from home. Personally, it was frustrating as I wanted to enjoy my life outside. However, as time passed by, I got used to the situation just like the narrator in the short story. I was able to adapt. Nevertheless, I miss the way I used to live my life before there was the Covid-19 pandemic. It has been almost 2 years that I was not able to enjoy a normal life. It was so long that I seemed to forget some parts of it. Therefore, while reading this short story, I cannot help but understand how the narrator feels because we are in a similar situation.

            Moreover, the short story mentions that the lives of the people within the story were controlled by the military. In the story, the police and military would knock on people’s door and force them to go somewhere. The characters had to obey without knowing exactly where they were heading. The situation in the short story seems more severe than the current situation in Thailand. Currently in Thailand, the military does have some control over the lives of the people and the police use brutal force against the people. Moreover, the rights and freedoms of Thai people, including myself, are limited. Hence, although the circumstance in the short story is more severe than the current political situation in Thailand, I was able to relate to it because there were some elements that were identical.

            In conclusion, after having read “Outside” by Etgar Keret,  I felt that it was highly relatable as I also have personal experiences related to having to stay at home for a long time and having to follow the orders of the authorities. Just like how the narrator was able to resume his life as his body remembered everything, I believe that I will be able to adapt to any situation that I have to face.

And I think this short story will make all the readers feel relatable for their own circumstances. So, I would recommend it to you. It may enable you to develop an understanding of adjustments that are crucial to leading a productive and balanced quarantine life.

Eventually, this crisis will end, time will continue, and life is still going on. Who knows? You might even look back fondly at the memory of all that free time (or at least all the time you got to spend in yoga pants).

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:)

Here are the link and QRcode if you want to watch 'Outside' , a covid-19 fairytale by Inbal Pinto and Etgar Keret

https://www.outside-film.com/?fbclid=IwAR0xMgGFDm-za1DSTJmux-ayAo1wVZRW0q0drdp7kvEKup233BKJ5qbpMVc