Skip to main content

Contagion - A Contagious Flick

The 1995 Dustin Hoffman starrer ‘Outbreak’ probably set a landmark for all epidemic/pandemic movies made thereafter. Contagion as a movie of that genre may or may have not surpassed the calibre of ‘Outbreak’, but certainly has succeeded in creating an identity of its own. 

A lethal communicable virus spreads across the globe, causing scores of death, while the health departments try to contain it; pharmaceutical companies try to leverage it and the affected try to come to terms with it. That’s precisely the story of Contagion. The appeal of the movie though lays not much in the story as it does in the story telling.

A Global Operations Manager of an American Company Beth (Gwyneth Paltrow), the unwitting host of a fatal airborne virus is seen chewing peanuts at a Hong Kong airport, waiting for a flight. Beth is unaware that like a Midas effect, everything she touches gets infected with the virus she is carrying. Soon in an ill-fated turn of events, people from all over the world begin to suffer from coughs, nose bleeds, collapse and immediately die. It is later shown in the movie through security tapes that the first recorded deaths were of the people who came in direct or indirect contact with Beth.

The quiet yet alarming infection slowly creeps its way into human nerves through door knobs, busses, papers and cups, unnoticed by the characters in the film. All they can notice is an escalating death toll with every passing day.

Marion Cotillard
There are several human sub plots – a man who discovers his wife’s infidelity while he is mourning over her death (played by Matt Damon), a pharmaceutical company hoping to mint money out of the crisis, an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer who has to convince local bureaucrats to commit resources while herself becoming infected, a scientist who identifies a potential vaccine and inoculates herself for a human subject test, World Health Organization epidemiologist who is held hostage for a batch of the vaccines. 

All of the characters have been treated with balanced empathy and make for the drama that a story like this requires to make it human. The film's usage of concepts like "R0" and "fomites," and genuine challenges like not having a state-of-the-art technology to mass produce vaccines depicts how well-illustrated the script is.

There’s also the conspiratorially-minded freelance journalist Alan Krumwiede (Jude Law) who creates uproar and public mayhem by releasing startling information on his blog; and Dr. Ellis Cheever (Laurence Fishburne) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who is torn between the right and the wrong. These two characters in particular bring out the multiple dynamics of an epidemic situation - the sufferers and the profiteers, the survivors and the favored, the powerful and the powerless. Both the characters in their own way bring a few surprises to the story by slowly exposing their intents and instincts.

The most intelligent aspect of the movie is probably its beginning - it starts from 'Day 2' rather than 'Day 1'. This may strike as confusing to many, because of the initial lack of information; but as the story progresses, the plot gets clearer, saving a few surprises till the end.

The background score really adds to the grim tale that Contagion is. Despite a multi star cast, the film remains plot centric and not a star centric high intensity drama, kudos to casting for roping in such a great cast and to Soderbergh for utilizing them so well. Kate Winlset, Marion Cotillard and Jennifer Ehle stand out with their subtle yet potent presence. Cinematography can’t be claimed to be extraordinary but certainly sets the paranoid mood. Certain scenes like Beth’s autopsy are visually disturbing and may not be suitable for children. Frequent close-ups of people touching objects like glasses, cell phones, credit cards, door knobs and elevator buttons manage to instil that arcane paranoia that film makers strive to create. The scenes leave one with the horrific feeling that you could be the next victim.

Overall, Contagion is a brilliant screenplay (by Scott Z. Burns), well-executed by Steven Soderbergh. Soderbergh, known for his distinct story telling, makes the audience realise yet another time, why his movies enjoy both commercial and critical triumph. The treatment of the movie however, screamed out “TV movie” rather than a theatrical release. What was the purpose of a multi-star cast still beats me when Contagion could have catapulted many Television actors to BAAFTA and EMMY

-by Parmita Borah

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

10 music fests in North East India you don't want to miss

— compiled by Debjani Hazarika Northeast India is known as the land of festivals and culture. From the beginning, people of this part of the world have been indulging in merriment and diversion. Hence, the music, dance and other forms of art are the integral parts of everyday life. Apart from traditional festivals, since the commencement of television and social media, many young enthusiasts came up with the idea of organising different music events and festivals where local and acclaimed musicians can showcase their talents. Some of the festivals are funded by the state governments while the rest organised with the help of private sponsorship. Here is a list of some of the music and cultural fests we thought you would love to attend if you are into music and adventure. Hornbill Festival (Nagaland) Hornbill Festival 2012, Nagaland (photo: Sudeepta Barua) WHAT? Hornbill Festival WHEN? December WHERE? Naga Heritage Village, Kohima, Nagaland The Hornbill Festival is a celebra

16 Rock Bands from North-East India you don't want to miss

North-East India is very rich in music, dance, tradition and culture. All the eight states of North-East India have something to offer for rock music lovers. Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, is also known as 'Rock Capital of India'. Some of the festivals promoting rock music of the region like Hornbill Festival of Nagaland and Ziro Festival of Music in Arunachal Pradesh are quite famous among music lovers. The region gave birth to many well known and respected Rock bands since the 60's. We have compiled a list of 16 (sixteen) comparatively new bands we love listening to all the time. Of course, there are various other bands apart from these sixteen bands who have made their mark on the Rock music scenario of India. We will post about those bands in our next segment. The Vinyl Records (Arunachal Pradesh) | photo: Facebook The Vinyl Records (Arunachal Pradesh) - Formed in February 2010, The Vinyl Records is an All-girl Rock band. They have performed in well

Gaurav Choudhury | Assam | ChaiTunes Artist

Gaurav Choudhury | ChaiTunes Gaurav Choudhury is a guitarist and a versatile singer. He has been playing the guitar for many years and composed songs in English and Assamese. He joined the team at ChaiTunes Project in 2017 and has worked for different collaborative projects like Anuron and Niyoror Xur with musicians from around the globe. Gaurav is an Engineer by profession. Gaurav's ChaiTunes Videos Anuron (live & unplugged) is recorded & shot live at the Eastern Fare Studios in Guwahati. It is the first of ChaiTunes Series' unplugged numbers & fourth of ChaiTunes series of music videos. The song is written and composed by Jim Ankan Deka and features Rupam Bhuyan, Veda V Sarma, Prabal Gogoi, Gaurav Choudhury & Jenie. Marvin Gaye (live & unplugged) is recorded & shot live at the Music Malt Studios in Guwahati. It is the first of ChaiTunes Series' unplugged cover numbers. The song features Catherine Khiangte, Jim Ankan Deka, Veda V Sarma, Prab