Contagion (2011): Pandemic Procedural

Contagion is an intelligent, star-studded study of what can happen when a new, virulent and deadly virus is unleashed on the world. It’s a disaster movie, but not an end-of-the world apocalyptic flick. I describe it as a pandemic procedural, because much of the narrative focus is on how scientists and public health authorities at the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and WHO (World Health Organization) deal with the scientific, societal and political repercussions of the pandemic. This may sound dull, but it’s not – it is fascinating and absorbing. You’ll leave the theater with lots to think about.

As with most disaster pictures, Contagion is ultimately about society, and how, for better or worse, people cope with a catastrophe or calamity. In the case of a flu-like plague, where a large swath of the world (and U.S.) population is susceptible, and with, say, a 25% mortality rate, should we close down airports or quarantine entire cities to slow its spread? Can we? Should we apprehend and quarantine everyone who has been exposed to the virus? Where? If there is a possible, but unproven antidote, should we run it through months of testing, though thousands are dying, or do we cross our fingers and disseminate it right away? Who gets it first? If your town is afflicted, would you continue to take public transit, would you send your kids to school, would you even go out to a public place, like the grocery, and risk infection? If you run a grocery, are you going to expose your own or your employees’ lives by even opening your doors? Don’t you have a moral obligation to the public to stay open? Should public employees protect themselves and their families first, or go out and protect the public?

How would you react in a pandemic, selfishly or selflessly- if it's your and your family’s lives at stake? Would you play by the rules or would you look out for number one? Would you trust government pronouncements about the situation? Do you think they're going to tell you the truth?

Like I said, this movie serves up some hearty food for thought. To their credit, writer Scott Z. Burns and director Stephen Soderbergh do this without crassly pulling at the heartstrings. There is no trumped-up romance to distract us. Despite the star quality of its cast, the film does not give us a singular protagonist or hero to carry us through the tumult.

Instead, we are presented with a broad set of characters - a husband and father (Matt Damon) whose wife (Gwyneth Paltrow) and child are afflicted, researchers and public health officials (Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Jennifer Ehle, Elliott Gould) trying to cope with catastrophe, Chinese villagers desperately seeking the means to ensure they will get timely help, an administrator (Laurence Fishburne) torn between his public duty and personal responsibilities. Taken together this patchwork of characters provides us with a global vantage point to watch as the pandemic and its fallout develop.
The performances are uniformly excellent, with special kudos to Winslet and Fishburne.

Soderbergh knows how to entertain (viz. Out of Sight; Traffic, Erin Brockovich, Ocean's Eleven, etc.), and he paces the action perfectly. The film starts with an announcement of "Day 2", and proceeds chronologically through Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, etc. This technique, coupled with the action on the ground, adds to the tension and propels us along. What about Day 1, you ask? We get there eventually.

Even pandemic procedurals need a villain, and, let's face it, it's pretty hard to personify or vilify a virus. But, again, this is really a human story, and we are offered an appropriately creepy character, one Alan Krumwiede (Jude Law), a paranoid, almost messianic blogger, questioning authority, challenging official pronouncements, suggesting a conspiracy, and promoting his own remedy for the virus. Law handles his assignment beautifully: Krumweide is, by turns, convincing, creepy, galvanizing, and scary. A standout performance.

Contagion is an intelligent film for adults, but if you’ve got a kid along with you (12 and up, please – this is appropriately a PG-13 rated movie), you’ll have an opportunity for some interesting conversation on the way home.

In theaters in wide release.