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A 70-minute pandemic thriller that asks: how much is one student worth?
TMDB
100
IMDb
34
Watch(US)

Before the World Set on Fire (2023)

claustrophobicacademic anxietymoral maze

Overview

DramaThrillerMystery

An unidentifiable virus breaks out at a college, forcing professor Anya Davis to conduct her seminar online. After a tragedy happens in the class, a battle of ethics begins between Anya and the institution.

Flag of USUS
Content warning
institutional complicitymoral injuryremote disconnectiongrief in isolation

Standout Aspects

Acting

Brooke Bloom's unraveling professor — pure controlled panic.

Direction

Bethany turns Zoom boxes into pressure cookers.

Writing

Dialogue that weaponizes academic language.

Best for:Solo: Late-night anxiety spiral fuel.·Streaming: Perfect for 'one more before bed' that ruins sleep.
Heads up:Triggers: Student death depicted; institutional gaslighting central to plot.·Emotional: Grief processed through screens — deeply lonely.
J

Director

Jaclyn Bethany

ReleasedNov 5, 2023
Runtime1h 10m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Pacefast
Intensityhigh
Tonedark
Feelheavy

Top Cast

Julia Sarah Stone

Julia Sarah Stone

Hanna

Brooke Bloom

Brooke Bloom

Anya

Joe Adler

Joe Adler

Kasper

Alex Breaux

Alex Breaux

Parker

David Call

David Call

Cole

Alex Hurt

Alex Hurt

Reed

Eve Connolly

Eve Connolly

Mara

Samuel H. Levine

Samuel H. Levine

Wilder

Mary Neely

Mary Neely

Molly

Karina Fontes

Karina Fontes

Selena

Stephen Friedrich

Stephen Friedrich

Vlad

Andrew Garman

Andrew Garman

Dean Johnson

Ask about Before the World Set on Fire

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Cultural

Shot during actual 2020 lockdowns, using real pandemic constraints as aesthetic — the rare COVID film that doesn't feel like a time capsule, but a wound still open.

Insight

The 70-minute runtime mirrors the compressed, breathless timeline of institutional crisis response — no room to process before the next emergency.

YouTube

Trailer

Trailer

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