The events depicted in this film occurred over a longer period than is alluded to, with Keith Gill first saying his famous phrase "I like the stock" on Reddit in January or February 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was about to hit. The events in the film unraveled over the 12 months, with Gill finally testifying (as seen in the film) in February 2021. Gill had actually been trading in small amounts of GameStop stock since 2019, having paid $5 per share back then, but when the price dropped to $3 a share as the pandemic hit and he was temporarily laid off from his full time job, he actively took to playing the market with this one company on a hunch and posting on social media about it, citing that with nothing else to do during COVID restrictions, young Americans will resort to playing video games more and more. This logic gained traction and word spread among communities that he may have hit upon something. As seen in the film, Wall Street brokers paid little attention at first until the figures just grew and grew and then they resorted to illegal tactics to quash it.