Contagion (2011), directed by Steven Soderberg, uniquely uses a documentary-esque style to make the audience feel as if they are viewing real events. By using techniques like natural lighting and handheld shots, as well as the dialogue being highly scientific without simplifying the language, it makes the film watch as a documentary which aids to the objective of portraying what a realistic response to a large-scale epidemic may look like. Additionally, the hyperlink narrative also adds to this effect. Many documentaries typically jump between situations, locations and interviews, which the film parallels through having multiple storylines playing out across the globe that it shifts between. These storylines all showcase the different responses individuals or groups may have to an epidemic of this magnitude. Lev Manovich’s concept of “database logic” helps explain the structure of Contagion as the story jumps from several very loosely connected plots, showing different stories playing out across the world, with the aesthetic making the audience view the movie differently as it is not one unified narrative. Contagion is a film not about one central character but a collection of perspectives, demonstrating the wide variety of experiences occurring due to the epidemic within the film.
While significantly different genres, Avengers: Infinity War (2018) uses a similar fractural storytelling device to showcase its global crisis, or to be more specific, to illustrate how vastly different teams of superhero’s come together against a shared threat. However, unlike Contagion, by the end of Avengers: Infinity War, the storylines converge. This demonstrates that films using fractural storytelling do not necessarily have to keep the fragmented narratives independent and can interweave together to create a connected conclusion. However, Contagion uses this type of narrative structure to demonstrate the chaos and disorder of real-world pandemics. The segmented story beats mirroring the impulsive reactions that happen during outbreaks, where individuals, institutions, and large-scale conglomerates can respond erratically. The film further explores the erratic reactions that occur through Jude Law’s character, Alan. By spreading a conspiracy about forsythia being a cure for the virus, Alan profited off people’s suffering due to desperate people paying for his blog. Alan also indirectly worsened this crisis as people began to ignore real medical advice for something they read on the internet. Ironically, despite the movie coming out before the COVID-19 pandemic, this conspiracy mirrors an event that occurred years after the film’s release. During the COVID-19 pandemic, an online conspiracy gained traction regarding Ivermectin, a de-wormer. This theory was platformed on huge podcasts such as the Joe Rogan Experience, despite having no clinical evidence that suggests it could be used to treat COVID-19. Ivermectin, when taking incorrect doses, has an array of side effects as well as being potentially fatal. While Contagion never suggests the dangers of taking forsythia outside of rejecting scientific medical advice, this real-world scenario shows the dangers of platforming such conspiracies. The spread of misinformation during epidemics can also prove to be just as threatening as the outbreak itself; the desperation for safety drives people to accept anything that offers a solution.
Globalization within Contagion is presented neither negatively nor positively, being very much a double-edged sword throughout the film. While the virus originates in China, it rapidly spreads due to travel and the movement of people, reaching Chicago in days. However, without international cooperation of the institutions such as the CDC and WHO, a cure would not have been reached. Contagion does focus on primarily Western-centric characters, as the leading scientists are with the CDC, representatives from WHO as well as the involvement of Chinese officials were vital in finding a solution as well as the origins of the virus. The film does follow Western storytelling conventions, but isn’t promoting a Western-centric worldview, but the Western perspective unintentionally frames them as the primary force fighting against the outbreak. Interestingly, the Western perspective seemingly is representative of how Western institutions tend to control narratives. Not only is the narrative the audience is experiencing through mostly Western characters, but the narrative of the crisis is also being controlled by Western institutions in the films world. Furthermore, this choice by Soderberg does view as a critique of the dominance the West exerts on media control regarding global issues and narratives. However, due to falling into typical Western (and Hollywood) storytelling conventions, the commentary becomes contradictory with the overall narrative of the film.
Contagion demonstrates the correlation between global trade and environmental destruction with modern pandemics. While the virus spread rapidly with global movement, the origin of the virus was caused by the destruction of the natural habitat of a bat, which led to encountering a pig that was sent to slaughter. This highlights the risks of habitual damage that come with commercial expansion, and ultimately a warning. Ironically, the in-film disease contrasts with the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic as it’s believed to have originated in bats as well. Instead of a grand adventure to save the environment against the large, evil, and greedy corporate antagonists in other eco-critical films, Contagion offers a more grounded approach. There is no over-arching antagonist; corporations are not malicious but careless, and shows structural failures opposed to intentional exploitation. The objective of the film is to create a realistic scenario that may occur if a pandemic of this scale were to happen. Irrationality and disorder build the films tension, with scientists across the globe scrambling to find a solution. Ultimately, the origin of the virus was the result of a domino effect created by global capitalism and corporate expansion, not some grand plan created by a villain for economic gain. Contagion is a warning about the dangers of unregulated globalization and mass hysteria, suggesting that we be more mindful of the impacts of global collectiveness. Unfortunately, the concerns of the film rung true, with the COVID-19 pandemic playing out eerily similarly to Contagion’s fictional scenario about a decade later.
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