Beth Emhoff returns to Minneapolis after a business trip to Hong Kong, but the strange symptoms she exhibited and attributed to simple jet lag are actually the prelude to contracting a virus that, after two days of suffering, kills her. This is only the first case of an infection that gradually develops on a global scale: no one knows the origin of the virus or a way to fight it. Mitch, Beth's husband, after the sudden death of his adopted son as well, finds himself fighting alongside his teenage daughter against a world that seems to be falling apart. Cheever, the deputy director of the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, tries to keep the situation under control to prevent panic from breaking out, while Dr. Mears and Dr. Orantes mobilize to find the origin and cure for the virus. Meanwhile, blogger Alan Krumwiede attacks the higher echelons of power, claiming that citizens are not informed about what is happening, thus throwing the population into paranoia.
In a line in the first part of the film, the character played by Kate Winslet, speaking about communication methods regarding the epidemic, perfectly expresses the purpose of the film "Contagion". "A plastic shark in a movie has succeeded in keeping people away from the oceans, but warnings on cigarette packs fail to deter smoking." It's not what you say, but how you say it that makes the difference! In fact, if we look
at the usefulness of Steven Soderbergh's latest work in terms of originality of the plot and argumentative timeliness, then we should label "Contagion" as useless and out of time. After all, the plot and its development appear as a somewhat more dramatic mix between "Deadly Virus" and "Carriers – Deadly Contagion", just as the alarmism about the H1N1 virus has now faded, diminishing the topicality of the subject. So, one must resort to how the story is told, bringing "Contagion" closer to Spielberg's shark rather than the epitaph-like warnings that adorn cigarette packs. Soderbergh crafts a film that is as impeccable in its packaging as it is effective in communicating the anxiety and anguish of a pandemic situation. And this, precisely, is the difference from the crowded rest of films about infections and epidemics, a quasi-scientific vision on the subject that cannot leave one indifferent, even managing to instill a subtle paranoid fear. The terrible things that unfold on the screen are
realistic, even possible, and the dramatic consequences that fuel the story of "Contagion" cannot be anything but truly unsettling.
Soderbergh approaches the theme without spectacular emphasis, but with a rigor almost documentary. This coldness (which, however, is a distinctive sign of this director's cinema) is a double-edged sword because, on the one hand, it makes everything more true and therefore frightening, but on the other hand, it can also leave the viewer detached and not make them passionate about the many stories and characters that make up the film. Similar to "Traffic" – Soderbergh's masterpiece, in the opinion of the writer – in "Contagion" the story is also told in a choral manner, there are many characters, none more protagonist than another, who do not even meet each other. These are stars of the Hollywood firmament who play pieces of a divine plan in which the cruelty of fate and the cynicism of life prevail. There are no good or bad guys, everyone has their small story in which, realistically, what counts is the survival of oneself and one's loved ones. Of course, there are no lack of key scenes in which there is a surge of altruism, often inserted as a redemptive element for characters described in
a too rigorous manner, but they alternate with lies of justice champions and scenes in which even children die in a horrible way.
The limit of "Contagion" is therefore this stylistic and narrative coldness that will certainly make someone feel repelled by the vision, combined with a certain slowness in the rhythm. Otherwise, we have a well-crafted film with a top-tier cast in which the faces of Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne, and Marion Cotillard are recognized. The whole is supported by a suggestive soundtrack by Cliff Martinez and a beautiful photography curated by Soderbergh himself.
Just as each of us has an irrepressible fear of diving into open waters while the famous catchy tune by John Williams echoes in our heads, in the same way, right after watching "Contagion" you cannot help but feel some fear if your bus seat neighbor starts coughing or a stranger offers you their hand "in a gesture of surrender".
Presented out of competition at the 68th edition of the Venice Film Festival.
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