• Contagion

4/15/20 (Wed)

I wasn’t particularly eager at first to see this 2001 film about a killer virus and ensuing global panic since we’re living it at the moment. But strong recommendations from friends and curiosity got the better of me. I wasn’t even aware of the film until the past few weeks, when it’s suddenly become a very hot property. One thing that attracted me was that unlike the typical horror film about zombies or aliens, a virus is very real, making the story all too credible – and, it turns out, prescient. The first (and still one of the few) horror films I saw that really terrified me was Jaws since, while I don’t believe in devils, I do believe in sharks. Still, Contagion-wise, it remained to be seen how close Hollywood was willing to stick to the plausible as opposed to the dramatic.

The film wastes no time in establishing the tone: it cannily opens with the subtitle “Day 2”, signaling that the story is already off and running. A woman in Chicago coughs just slightly, a sound as ominous as the Jaws theme music. A young man in Hong Kong walks in a daze before collapsing, a man faints on a Tokyo bus, others around the globe start to die mysteriously. Scientists gradually begin linking the dots. Then people begin falling by the dozens, and hundreds, and thousands, prompting a frantic search by researchers worldwide for the source of the disease and a way at least to contain, if not eradicate, the pandemic.

The story barrels on relentlessly via several plot strands – government officials race to get a handle on what’s happening, a husband nervously guards his daughter after losing his wife and son to the disease, a French epidemiologist is kidnapped in order to secure the needed drug, a researcher struggles to develop a virus before taking a notable sacrifice, an online influencer pushes an unconventional cure in which he turns out to have a financial stake and so forth. It boasts an impressive collection of A-list stars, including Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law and Kate Winslet. Shortages of drugs and food lead to a frightening breakdown of the social order as the world struggles to contain the pandemic. But the real suspense comes from subtle shots of the most trivial objects, any of which may be deadly: a wine glass, a doorknob, a handshake, a dollar bill. The invisible enemy could be on any surface we touch or the very air we breathe, and it is everywhere – there is no escape.

That’s pretty much how the real-life situation is unfolding at present, and it’s amazing to be watching this film in hindsight. Before two months ago, who ever heard of “social distancing”? “R₀” (pronounced R naught)? “Pandemic”? It’s all there front-and-center in this decade-old flick. The movie is fast paced and deals grippingly with the various stories while keeping a laser focus on the virus and its impact, right until the unforgettable ending, which is really the beginning. The motives and actions of all characters are well grounded, and if some stories are rather less likely than others (like the kidnapping), they’re nevertheless all extremely well presented. Fortunately we’ve avoided the disruptions to the supply chain shown here along with the resulting riots and pandemonium, at least thus far. The rest is a disturbing picture – a mirror of the times in many ways. It’s a fine film on its own, and the jolt of reality looking back adds an extra chill. Jennifer Ehle is particularly memorable as a doctor who makes an inspiring sacrifice, but there’s not a weak link in the cast. I’m going to watch this again once this whole thing dies down. Strongly recommended.