Contagion came out in 2011, but it is shockingly relevant to our current COVID-19 situation, this is why you should watch it. 

It’s first important to note that there are elements in the movie that are a tad bit sped up or not entirely realistic. Specifically the rapid incubation period and swift spread of the movie’s virus, but those aspects are forgivable as it’s a movie and needs to capture viewer interest. 

However, the movie is actually extremely accurate to not only our current pandemic, but also the science of disease as well as the actions and protocols of the government and the CDC.

The basic plot of the film centers around the spread of the fictional MEV-1 virus. Gwyenth Paltrow’s character is patient zero, contracting the disease in China from a pig who came into contact with bat feces. Paltrow brings the disease back to the US while it spreads elsewhere in the world. Following this, the film depicts the ever growing panic as the disease spreads and governments race to help their people and develop a vaccine. 

The first obvious parallel is not only the disease originating in China, but also the connection to bats as COVID-19 is also predicted to be linked to bats. Kate Winslet’s character also mentions early in the film that the MEV-1 virus has a reproduction number of 3, COVID-19 has a similar reproduction number of 3 to 4. 

These similarities occur because director Steven Soderbergh wanted to make the movie as accurate as possible, researching the Swine Flu pandemic and the first SARS outbreak. Luckily for us, the fictional MEV-1 virus featured in the film is way more lethal than COVID-19, in the film people who contract MEV-1 die within the same week of contraction and it spreads far more rapidly. 

This part of the film almost acts as a sigh of relief for viewers. Although the COVID-19 pandemic is highly concerning and tragic, the film at least shows us that the virus on our hands could be much worse. 

Social distancing is implemented quickly in the movie, which is almost odd to hear in something from 2011. Before COVID-19, we never really heard the term “social distancing,” but the movie points out it is a natural part of pandemic protocol, it’s only now that it has fully entered our reality. 

Another sigh of relief comes in the form of public reaction during the movie. People begin to raid stores and become hostile towards each other over supplies, at one point we even see the military handing out food resulting in a mob. In our reality, essentials such as toilet paper have been flying off the shelves, but luckily we haven’t seen full on raiding of stores and stealing from neighbors. Granted though, the virus in the film is extremely deadly, so the situation is more dire. 

The movie does show aspects of our current world though that are sadly all too similar. First being the death of Kate Winslet’s character. Kate Winslet is a CDC worker, being the first to encounter patients of the virus. This is what leads her to accidentally contract the virus herself and tragically die a few days later. The worst part is seeing her body lined up with hundreds of others in a mass grave. 

This parallels our lives because many health care workers are putting their health on the line to work with patients of the virus and the virus itself. Many of them contracting COVID-19 themselves and some have unfortunately passed away including the original whistleblower of COVID-19, Dr. Li Wenliang. 

The other direct parallel of the film is Jude Law’s character’s spread of fake news. Jude Law preaches to the public via a blog that the CDC are liars and are covering up details, he also falsely claims to have had the disease but cured himself through an easily obtainable natural extract. This creates a wide mass belief in this solution as people surge stores for the extract, but eventually die.

This is something occurring in our reality as well, there have been people such as Alex Jones promoting that micro particle colloidal silver aids against COVID-19. This claim is backed by no substantial evidence nor endorsed by the CDC, yet people who spread these hoaxes are able to fool desperate people afraid of the virus. 

The entire film also depicts the real science and procedures behind pandemics in the government, creating some empathy for workers in that field as it shows viewers just how difficult it is. It helps create a better understanding between the public and the organizations working to fight off COVID-19.

Overall, Contagion is a film we should all be watching. Besides genuinely being entertaining, the film guides you through the real life processes of a pandemic on top of hopefully giving viewers a piece of mind that we could be experiencing something much more dire. It also offers hope as by the end of the film, millions of people have died, but a vaccination does eventually break through to save lives. 

And don’t worry, nothing said here ruins watching the film, it’s truly a film you have to watch yourself to fully take in. 

Contagion is available for streaming on Youtube, iTunes, Vudu, Google Play, Amazon Prime, and Hulu.