Setting

The events presented in the short film “Viral” by Donald Broida take place in an unnamed town in the United States. 

May’s house, which she has inherited from her parents, plays an important role in the setting. After her overdose, May moves into the house alone. The house seems too big for her and like it is waiting for a new, happy family to settle in. In that way, the house becomes a reflection of May who also anxiously awaits Hayden so they can become a family again. 

The weather is crucial to the setting, too, as bad weather is used several times to reflect the crisis May is going through. One example is when May goes to visit her son at the foster parent’s house. Although May and Hayden are enjoying themselves together, the overcast sky underlines th...