A cosy prison: Sasha feels secure in her bubble, but is the biggest threat to her wellbeing already within those seemingly safe walls?

Uzo Aduba gives a harrowing performance that details a future all of us can now imagine more clearly than we could 15 months ago. There is a sense that life may possibly come to imitate art here, but that isn’t a comforting thought.

For 20 years, Sasha has been in lockdown, under a stay at home order. Just let that sink in for a moment. 20 weeks is bad enough, but the long-term mental health damage that results from a heightened state of fear for such a length of time is irreversible.

Uzo’s performance shows us rather than tells us how this has taken its toll, and the devil is in the details. It all adds up to a profound paranoia and lack of trust. Your government has told you to say at home for your safety, or you risk death. Then when the danger passes, they tell you it is safe to leave – but is it? How can you know, if you have no real way of seeing this with your own eyes? When all communication is filtered via a system installed / controlled by the institutions that run the state that you have lost all faith in, how can you even trust that your family is, in fact, your family? This question is left up to the audience to decide, but either option is heart breaking.

With laser-sharp relevance to our current moment, the tragedy of Sasha’s life and of the decisions that she has taken (that ultimately imprison her within her own fear) will stay with me for some time to come.

Verdict: A timely window into a world that may already exist in the minds of many in a world ravaged by a deadly virus. Sobering stuff. 9/10

Claire Smith