Contagion
Dir. Stephen Soderbergh
Contagion is not Outbreak. Though Contagion does share the same basic premise as the 1996 virus action film starring Dustin Hoffman and Rene Russo, the two movies are actually quite divergent. Whereas Outbreak was an explosive action movie hiding behind a virus, Contagion is an astute commentary on modern social culture…hiding behind a virus.
The film opens with Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) already infected. We don’t know with what or to what extreme, but the profuse sweating and flush skin are dead giveaways. We’ve all been in that sort of situation; felt sort of crummy so we decided to wait it out, drink some tea, stay in from work in our bathrobe and see what happens. Unfortunately, a mere three days after infection, poor Ms. Paltrow is writhing on the ground, foaming at the mouth and, well, dead. Then, the infection spreads. Through surprisingly accessible scientific speak, we are told the virus spreads from any form of contact. Picking up a glass, passing along a cell phone, a hug, a kiss, anything short of looking at someone will pass it along. From here, the movie diverges into multiple story arcs. One stays with Paltrow’s grieving widower (Matt Damon) as he tries to come to grips with his loss while protecting his remaining daughter. Scientist Dr. Erin Mears (Kate Winslet) is dispatched by CDC bigwig Dr. Ellis Cheever (Lawrence Fishbourne) to Minneapolis to discover the origin of Beth’s disease. Meanwhile, World Health Organization viruologist Dr. Leonora Orantes (Marion Cotillard) is sent to Hong Kong to see if she can find clues in the last place Beth was seen healthy. All the while, batty blogger Alan Krumweide (Jude Law) is spreading dangerous theories on how the government is keeping an antidote simply for profit.
The stories ricochet off one another, but most of the characters interact with only the two or three people in their storyline. Matt Damon’s character never even knows that Marion Cotillard’s character exists. The cast is admittedly large and these types of hyperlink narratives (a phrase referencing the multiple-storyline structure popularized by Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inaritu) are tricky. Usually the audience becomes invested in one or two stories and the others feel underdeveloped and, certainly, some of the narratives here are more engaging than the other, but thanks to the strong acting by most all of the cast, we remain invested in their storylines. Jennifer Ehle as a driven scientist trying to find a cure is a standout for the deep sense of concern and duty she conveys in her simplest of glances.
I think Contagion stands as a very powerful movie for its honest approach to social disintegration. In Outbreak, the virus was Hollywood action. Dustin Hoffman must sprint to find the monkey that will save Rene Russo’s life! Earth-shattering bombs destroy an infected village in an orgy or pyrotechnics. Yet the virus was never contended with on a human level. Contagion, on the other hand, generates tension and, arguably, horror in its genuine approach to the degradation of society. When you look at modern societal horrors such as the riots in London, the earthquakes in Haiti or the floods of Japan, they don’t arrive with explosions or singular heroes dashing in to save the day, but escalate so slowly and severely that the ordinary citizen can’t help but be swept in. Contagion also makes the very strong connection to hysteria and our fascination with social networking. Jude Law’s Alan Krumweide takes to his video blog to champion the homeopathic quasi-cure forsythia while decrying the corruption of government and its commoditization of its citizens. Rather than dismiss Krumweide’s claims, the public labels him a profit and the movie makes it clear that these sort of polarizing claims can be as quick and dangerous (if not more so) than the disease itself. Ultimately, and I think again what points to the movie’s honesty, no one person saves the day and even the heroes make bad choices that could have saved millions of lives.
Contagion is an intelligent and socially relevant film that, thankfully, eschews explosions for real drama.
Grade for Erica: A-
