Contagion

Rating – 4/4

*SPOILERS*

During the time of COVID-19, we were stuck at home playing games, continuing our education, working, and doing something to keep ourselves busy until it subsided. In my case, I watched movies. And like many other people, I streamed disease movies. 

But one movie that’s praised to high hell for its accuracy and research is Contagion. In fact, we might as well call this Coronavirus: The Movie. Does this sound familiar? An infectious disease starts in China, proceeds to spread around the world, a pandemic is declared, and people start dying. Even more scary, viruses like this could and likely do exist and makes this movie even more poignant. 

With an ensemble cast that includes Laurence Fishburne, Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Marion Cotillard, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Bryan Cranston, and many others, Contagion follows multiple storylines: the civilians affected, the doctors racing for a cure, the conspiracy theorists, and the how the world reacts. After a woman named Beth (Paltrow) comes down with a mysterious illness and dies, a deadly, unknown virus begins to circulate around the world killing millions. Ellis Cheever (Fishburne) and the CDC and World Health Organization desperately try to identify and treat the infected. Meanwhile, Mitch Emhoff (Damon) tries to protect his family during the widespread panic and blogger Alan Krumweide (Law) begins his campaign of conspiracy theories. And it’s a race against the clock to stop the virus before more people die. 

But what’s scary is not the virus, but the panic and fear that mounts in the public. There’s widespread looting, violence, protests, and distrust against the government. At the same time, the government is trying to ease fears and find a vaccine, but like all viruses, they don’t run on human time. And that’s what makes people scared. Like the movie’s tagline “Nothing spreads faster than fear,” the virus isn’t the only thing spreading. It’s not a horror movie, but does show the realistic portrayal that can occur during anarchy. 

Contagion is slow-moving and can be hard to follow due to the ensemble cast. But its realism and tense atmosphere make it engaging, aided by an amazing score of foreboding and strong performances from the cast. And credit must be given to Steven Soderbergh and his team for their intensive and accurate research into a government response to a pandemic. The film doesn’t fall into a standard Hollywood formula. There’s no designated hero or villain (not counting the virus) and it’s a character study of how people handle a crisis. And in the future as there will be more pandemics, Contagion certainly ages well, no matter how long ago it was made. 

So please, grab your drinks and snacks and give it a watch. But just remember to wash your hands…