Contagion (2011)
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Well, isn’t this topical? With nothing new getting released into theatres last week I wasn’t quite sure what to write about, but once everyone started talking about Contagion, things became pretty clear. Given the various states of emergency that many places are putting up, I think I’ll be streaming more movies than seeing them in theater, and this is just the first! Let’s cover this and then get back to the wholesome fantastical kinds of horror we all know and love, and leave the topical stuff for the next crisis.
Maybe This Will Sound Familiar.
Contagion is about a horrific illness that kills within days of it being contracted. Not of clear origin and seemingly coming from Hong Kong, Contagion focuses on how the American government and medical community react to this growing pandemic, with particular interest given towards the director of the CDC, Dr. Ellis Cheever (Laurence Fishburne), a front line expert on pandemic illnesses, Dr. Erin Mears (Kate Winslet), and the husband of one of the first Americans to be stricken with the illness, Mitch Emhoff (Matt Damon),. Through each of these characters, and several others I don’t want to mention just for time’s sake, we see how societies deal with the aforementioned pandemic and what that means for us as a people.
Really Unique Perspective That Pays Off.
Of all the disaster movies I’ve seen, Contagion is the only one I can think of right now that takes the unique perspective of splitting screen time between the government response to the disaster with that of an average person caught in the midst of it. It’s a tricky balancing act trying to show us both these perspectives in a way that makes them both feel important, particularly when a huge amount of characters are thrown at you in a short period, but this novel approach works. Instead of being a dry discussion of CDC policy or an over the top campfest a la The Happening where people are frightened of wind, Contagion manages to craft its own story, one that’s a part detective story, part human tale of societal collapse, and part horror film about the dangers of illness and the limits of medical science.
Would Ya Look At That Cast!
It’s a shockingly effective approach, one that manages to hit all the right notes of keeping you emotionally involved with the characters while also showing the broader implications of everything that is going on. This is helped by the tremendous cast. Laurence Fishburne, Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Bryan Cranston…there is an excessive amount of talent here and everyone is bringing their A-Game even though not everyone has a ton of screen time. Special shout out to Jude Law, who played a conspiracy theorist/alternative medicine scumbag, who delivered the smarmiest and smuggest performance I’ve ever seen from him. I constantly wanted to punch him in the face, he was perfect.
That’s Some Nice Cinematography You Got There…
Another great thing here is the cinematography, which is almost like what you would find in a slasher movie. There are many sequences with shots that linger for a moment or two on every surface someone touches, and it gives that slasher movie feel to it where we know something is very wrong and dangerous but everyone is blissfully unaware. In someone else’s hands, this might be corny but it builds incredible tension just by reminding everyone how many surfaces we touch every minute. Particularly relevant given our present situation.
…But Hold Off For A While. Seriously.
So this is a pretty damn good film. I’d recommend watching it, but with a very specific addendum, hold off for a month or two. This is a fine film but there is a risk of maybe becoming a bit too into what’s going on in it. Particularly when it comes to the plot points about the infectious respiratory illness causing a global meltdown that leads to riots, looting, mass graves, and countless deaths. I wouldn’t typically give that advice but there is currently a global pandemic going on and this movie may reinforce some fears that aren’t particularly well-founded. So even though this is a good movie and I would recommend it in a general sense, I would advise holding off for maybe a month or so until this whole thing blows over, and then you should watch Contagion without tricking yourself into thinking this is all right around the corner.
U enjoyed your review and will take time to watch it this weekend