Steven Soderbergh’s latest film “Contagion” portrays a grim horror story unlike most, one that fortunately for the film but unfortunately for humanity, is not too far fetched. This movie’s monster isn’t an axe–wielding murderer or a flesh–eating zombie, but rather a virus; an infinitesimal microbe, which claims more victims in the picture’s 106 minutes than every other killer in the history of horror movies combined. “Contagion” goes exactly where it needs to go and beyond, touching base with it’s audience on a number of levels while managing to evoke emotions from fear to compassion to everything in between in it’s short running time.
At its core, “Contagion” is a thriller movie – and rest assured, thrill it does – but its intention is to do more than just scare. The story line centers around a worldwide outbreak of a new, extremely contagious and deadly virus for which there is no known cure. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), along with an epidemiologist, all rush to find a cure that doesn’t seem to exist. We follow a number of characters – which include the virus’ first victim and her family, health leaders and doctors working to find a cure, and a blogger creating perhaps more hysteria than the virus itself – who bring the story to life, making the picture resonate with its audience on a much deeper emotional level than a typical thriller would.
Beth Emhoff is the viruses’ first victim, who is infected while on a business trip in Tokyo. She, along with her son whom she infects, die abruptly very soon into the movie (this is not a spoiler – scene is shown in previews), initially triggering the attention of the medical community. We are left with Beth’s husband, Mitch, who is miraculously immune and their daughter who was away during the time and was not infected. Immediately, we sympathize with Mitch who in 2 short days lost both his wife and son to a virus no one has heard of, but our sympathy grows even stronger when it is found out upon investigation that Beth was having an affair.
A number of other characters throughout the movie – which has no conventional “main character” – also evoke emotional connection. There’s Mitch’s teenage daughter does not get to attend her high school prom and is put on virtual lockdown as a safety precaution, missing out on a number of once in a lifetime experiences every girl dreams of. Then there’s a doctor working on a cure who uses herself as a test dummy, injecting herself with a prototype vaccine in hopes of speeding through the testing protocol vaccines must go through before hitting the market. Similarly, the head of the CDC gives his vaccine to a janitor’s son, leaving himself vulnerable while the epidemiologist, who works so vehemently to trace the virus that she ends up contracting it herself. Refreshingly human characters like these are scattered throughout, juxtaposing the selfish hysteria that builds around the virus, which at times becomes difficult to watch as people out of desperation invade each other’s homes, rob stores, break into pharmacies and seemingly lose sense of every human characteristic that separates us from animals.
A major reason for this hysteria, aside from the virus itself, is an internet blogger who spreads rumors of the virus and how dangerous it is before the CDC are able to conclude or announce anything themselves. This creates chaos and we watch as society crumbles as the public succumbs to anything they read on the Internet. Although not necessary to the story as a whole, I found the blogger bit to be an interesting addition to the film, a social criticism showcasing how in this technology driven world it’s possible that the written word creates more hysteria than what’s being written about itself. Perhaps the most striking aspect of the movie however, is how realistically the epidemic is portrayed. Half of the film is spent behind closed doors in the frantic offices of the CDC and WHO as they scurry to find a cure. I later found out that the filmmakers actually worked closely with the CDC in an effort to ensure that the movie is as realistic as possible, and although I’m no expert, I think they did a pretty good job.
Finally, the movie also raises a number of ethical questions that resonate long after the movie ends. For example, when a vaccine is finally created, it’s impossible to manufacture enough of it to go around to everyone at once. So the question arises: who gets it first? In the film, and probably the way it would play out in real life, CDC and WHO executives and their families, along with politicians are the first to receive the sought after cure. For everyone else, a weekly lottery is held based on birthdays. There is also confidential information regarding roadway closings in infected areas as a quarantine attempt which insiders are able to warn their family and friends about while the public remains in the dark. Is hiding information unethical? Or is it the only way to combat mass hysteria? It’s questions like these that played in my head for days after I saw the film.
“Contagion” has all the makings of a thriller, but it’s ability to weave in emotion, social criticism and a stark sense of reality are what set it apart from the rest. It’s a rollercoaster ride that will can you cringe, cry, smile and question all in one sitting. A precaution before watching, however: stock up on hand sanitizer because you will never want to leave home with out it again.
