Tucked away in the tungsten-lit memories of yesteryear is a little known filmmaking venture from some of Bushwick’s most promising young directors. Brooklyn Love Stories, which arrived on VOD earlier this month, is a collection of six tales of lust and longing, set against a recognizable flurry of neighborhood backdrops and haunts. In a joint project from Tandem Pictures, Circle of Confusion, and Big Green Alien Pictures, six filmmakers were each tasked with creating a short film with the unifying theme of “unconditional love.” Most impressively, the short movies double as an accidental time capsule for the “before times” in Bushwick. 

A short introductory montage shows Maria Hernandez Park and her sundrenched patrons, the maskless ordering indoors at Gaby’s Bakery and the non-socially distanced food truck customers off the Jefferson L. So if you have the night off with your Valentine this Sunday, the film is available for rent or purchase here. Grab a bottle of wine or whisky, pick up takeout from your go-to pandemic spot, and settle into a snapshot of what love and life was like in the fabled year…2019. 

1. “Long Time Distance” dir. James Sweeney