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For Me, Rewatching ‘Contagion’ Was Fun, Until It Wasn’t For Me, Rewatching ‘Contagion’ Was Fun, Until It Wasn’t
(7 days later)
Pixar’s “Onward” is the No. 1 movie in America. But what if “Contagion” is the No. 1 movie in our psyches? It’s currently way up there on the iTunes movie chart, which means we are paying for Steven Soderbergh’s nine-year-old sign of pandemic life. Covid-19 is upon us, infecting and killing people, compelling quarantine and “social distancing.” Planes are empty. Conferences and tennis tournaments are being scrapped. The new James Bond movie has been wishfully rescheduled for healthier climes.Pixar’s “Onward” is the No. 1 movie in America. But what if “Contagion” is the No. 1 movie in our psyches? It’s currently way up there on the iTunes movie chart, which means we are paying for Steven Soderbergh’s nine-year-old sign of pandemic life. Covid-19 is upon us, infecting and killing people, compelling quarantine and “social distancing.” Planes are empty. Conferences and tennis tournaments are being scrapped. The new James Bond movie has been wishfully rescheduled for healthier climes.
In the best of times, we civilians are unlikely to have a clear sense of what to expect from our leaders and government agencies. So in addition to looking to Washington for clarity in these stressful times, lots of us have turned to Soderbergh. “Contagion” offers gymnastic catastrophe — it kicks, glides and throbs; it sticks the landing. In September of 2011, when it opened, studded with stars (Matt Damon, Sanaa Lathan, a snaggletoothed Jude Law), it was a decent hit.In the best of times, we civilians are unlikely to have a clear sense of what to expect from our leaders and government agencies. So in addition to looking to Washington for clarity in these stressful times, lots of us have turned to Soderbergh. “Contagion” offers gymnastic catastrophe — it kicks, glides and throbs; it sticks the landing. In September of 2011, when it opened, studded with stars (Matt Damon, Sanaa Lathan, a snaggletoothed Jude Law), it was a decent hit.
The movie hit me squarely in my entertainment cortex, this funny, scary, stylish, soapy, plausible speculation of life during a global outbreak. The appeal now is how it’s proving to be an instructive worst-case scenario of our current freak-out. We’ve turned to it, in part, to know how bad things could get.The movie hit me squarely in my entertainment cortex, this funny, scary, stylish, soapy, plausible speculation of life during a global outbreak. The appeal now is how it’s proving to be an instructive worst-case scenario of our current freak-out. We’ve turned to it, in part, to know how bad things could get.
The film’s virus seems a lot worse, for one thing. Six characters die in the first 12 or so minutes. One of them is Gwyneth Paltrow, our patient zero. When a pair of doctors cut her skull open, they peer inside with bewilderment that radiates through their layers of protective gear. One asks, “Should we tell somebody?” And the other replies: “Tell everybody.”The film’s virus seems a lot worse, for one thing. Six characters die in the first 12 or so minutes. One of them is Gwyneth Paltrow, our patient zero. When a pair of doctors cut her skull open, they peer inside with bewilderment that radiates through their layers of protective gear. One asks, “Should we tell somebody?” And the other replies: “Tell everybody.”
A scene like that is another reason we’ve turned to it. It’s not like, I don’t know, “Bird Box,” where you’re trapped along with a bunch of strangers in the middle of a mysterious suicidal outbreak; or like waiting with the folks in “Night of the Living Dead” for the zombies to arrive. Nobody gets epidemiological information in that sort of movie; they just want to get tomorrow.A scene like that is another reason we’ve turned to it. It’s not like, I don’t know, “Bird Box,” where you’re trapped along with a bunch of strangers in the middle of a mysterious suicidal outbreak; or like waiting with the folks in “Night of the Living Dead” for the zombies to arrive. Nobody gets epidemiological information in that sort of movie; they just want to get tomorrow.
“Contagion” explains the terror; it’s an explanatory drama. Scott Z. Burns wrote the script, and he embeds us with the crisis managers, scientists and bureaucrats who are looking, rationally, for answers, devising containment strategies, working toward a vaccine. Elected government is all but negligible. The most presidential character in the movie is Laurence Fishburne, and he runs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Bryan Cranston does gently flex military muscle as some kind of admiral. But he’s essentially part of a team. Most of the movie operates in staffs.“Contagion” explains the terror; it’s an explanatory drama. Scott Z. Burns wrote the script, and he embeds us with the crisis managers, scientists and bureaucrats who are looking, rationally, for answers, devising containment strategies, working toward a vaccine. Elected government is all but negligible. The most presidential character in the movie is Laurence Fishburne, and he runs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Bryan Cranston does gently flex military muscle as some kind of admiral. But he’s essentially part of a team. Most of the movie operates in staffs.
In Minnesota, the C.D.C. inspection officer, played by Kate Winslet, keeps running afoul of the governor’s people. In Hong Kong, the World Health Organization, with Marion Cotillard as perhaps its chicest delegate, attempts to sleuth out the outbreak’s origin with a local group of male skeptics. Meanwhile, back at the C.D.C., Jennifer Ehle is trying to understand the virus at a cellular level, saying things like “it’s pleomorphic.”In Minnesota, the C.D.C. inspection officer, played by Kate Winslet, keeps running afoul of the governor’s people. In Hong Kong, the World Health Organization, with Marion Cotillard as perhaps its chicest delegate, attempts to sleuth out the outbreak’s origin with a local group of male skeptics. Meanwhile, back at the C.D.C., Jennifer Ehle is trying to understand the virus at a cellular level, saying things like “it’s pleomorphic.”
One thrill of the movie is its belief in solution-driven competence. (Bonus points for having women embody that competence; they are almost saintly.) The only people who flip out are civilians: Law, as a Blogger Who Knows the Truth and Damon, who loses half his family (Paltrow was his wife) but is biologically immune (classic Damon). Watching movie stars be world-savingly smart really does lower your blood pressure.One thrill of the movie is its belief in solution-driven competence. (Bonus points for having women embody that competence; they are almost saintly.) The only people who flip out are civilians: Law, as a Blogger Who Knows the Truth and Damon, who loses half his family (Paltrow was his wife) but is biologically immune (classic Damon). Watching movie stars be world-savingly smart really does lower your blood pressure.
But, if we’re being honest, calm isn’t why anybody comes back around to “Contagion.” It’s having our pressure spiked. Panic is a draw. And Soderbergh is the right guy to goose the dismay. He’s always practiced a filmmaking of neurotic compulsion: the doomsday obsessions of Andie MacDowell in “Sex, Lies, and Videotape” and James Spader’s complementary erotic fetish; the way Soderbergh essentially color codes his movies in blues, oranges and reds. I used to think the tinting was to help us follow all the story lines; now I think it’s to help him feel organized, that every element is in its place.But, if we’re being honest, calm isn’t why anybody comes back around to “Contagion.” It’s having our pressure spiked. Panic is a draw. And Soderbergh is the right guy to goose the dismay. He’s always practiced a filmmaking of neurotic compulsion: the doomsday obsessions of Andie MacDowell in “Sex, Lies, and Videotape” and James Spader’s complementary erotic fetish; the way Soderbergh essentially color codes his movies in blues, oranges and reds. I used to think the tinting was to help us follow all the story lines; now I think it’s to help him feel organized, that every element is in its place.
Soderbergh’s OCD flag really flies in “Contagion.” The introduction of every city receives a head count: “Tokyo, population 36.6 million,” “Minneapolis, population 3 million.” Toward the end of the opening sequence, the camera peers down from Paltrow to the bowl of airport-bar peanuts at her elbows. It follows her credit card as it goes from her fingers to the attendant who swipes it. Anytime a hand touches a door knob or a pole on a subway or a bus, the camera and editing basically go “ewww.” For the severely infected, the camera angles go sideways and the images warp and blur.Soderbergh’s OCD flag really flies in “Contagion.” The introduction of every city receives a head count: “Tokyo, population 36.6 million,” “Minneapolis, population 3 million.” Toward the end of the opening sequence, the camera peers down from Paltrow to the bowl of airport-bar peanuts at her elbows. It follows her credit card as it goes from her fingers to the attendant who swipes it. Anytime a hand touches a door knob or a pole on a subway or a bus, the camera and editing basically go “ewww.” For the severely infected, the camera angles go sideways and the images warp and blur.
At some point, a scientist played by Elliott Gould sits in a restaurant after spending a lot of brain power thinking about a vaccine and watches a waiter yawn while drying glasses and a coughing woman take a swig of water. Gould’s reaction is a face he had to invent for the occasion. It’s worth noting that Soderbergh does his own cinematography; those are basically his eyes boinging out of their sockets.At some point, a scientist played by Elliott Gould sits in a restaurant after spending a lot of brain power thinking about a vaccine and watches a waiter yawn while drying glasses and a coughing woman take a swig of water. Gould’s reaction is a face he had to invent for the occasion. It’s worth noting that Soderbergh does his own cinematography; those are basically his eyes boinging out of their sockets.
Updated June 24, 2020 Updated June 30, 2020
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles.Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles.
A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico.A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico.
The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.
The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.
So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.
Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.
The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
After 45 minutes, my delight subsided. I remembered why I was watching this again. And the gravity of it all set in — deeper than something terrifying like the “28 Days” zombie movies, although not as movingly as a novel like “Station Eleven” or the archival footage AIDS documentary “How to Survive a Plague.” The movie’s potential death toll — 70 million, somebody says — seems high compared to what officials are surmising about Covid-19. But people are dying. The striking nurses and empty gyms, malls and airports; the panic to flee: It all feels real. The movie doesn’t predict the racism and xenophobia that have broken out in the United States. (Maybe you saw the clip of a nincompoop newsperson asking whether we could get the virus from Chinese food.) Instead, it has desperate Hong Kong villagers kidnap an important white lady in order to get them to the front of the vaccine line.After 45 minutes, my delight subsided. I remembered why I was watching this again. And the gravity of it all set in — deeper than something terrifying like the “28 Days” zombie movies, although not as movingly as a novel like “Station Eleven” or the archival footage AIDS documentary “How to Survive a Plague.” The movie’s potential death toll — 70 million, somebody says — seems high compared to what officials are surmising about Covid-19. But people are dying. The striking nurses and empty gyms, malls and airports; the panic to flee: It all feels real. The movie doesn’t predict the racism and xenophobia that have broken out in the United States. (Maybe you saw the clip of a nincompoop newsperson asking whether we could get the virus from Chinese food.) Instead, it has desperate Hong Kong villagers kidnap an important white lady in order to get them to the front of the vaccine line.
Speaking for those who’ve rehelped ourselves, I’m glad I did. There have been moments in the last few weeks when I’ve felt we might be paranoid. Everything smells of hand sanitizer and people are testing their core strength to surf the subway-car turbulence lest they have to grip a subway pole. The other day, I watched a businessman wipe an entire train seat with disinfectant and then park himself in it before it dried. I thought we might all be Julianne Moore in “Safe,” suffering from a disease we might not actually have.Speaking for those who’ve rehelped ourselves, I’m glad I did. There have been moments in the last few weeks when I’ve felt we might be paranoid. Everything smells of hand sanitizer and people are testing their core strength to surf the subway-car turbulence lest they have to grip a subway pole. The other day, I watched a businessman wipe an entire train seat with disinfectant and then park himself in it before it dried. I thought we might all be Julianne Moore in “Safe,” suffering from a disease we might not actually have.
Then I got to the scene in “Contagion” in which Winslet’s helper takes a stab at commiseration. “My wife makes me take off my clothes in the garage,” he says, “and then she leaves out a bucket of warm water and soap. And then she douses everything in hand sanitizer after I leave. I mean, she’s overreacting, right?”Then I got to the scene in “Contagion” in which Winslet’s helper takes a stab at commiseration. “My wife makes me take off my clothes in the garage,” he says, “and then she leaves out a bucket of warm water and soap. And then she douses everything in hand sanitizer after I leave. I mean, she’s overreacting, right?”
Her answer is what we’ve paid good money to hear: “Not really.”Her answer is what we’ve paid good money to hear: “Not really.”
She’s not done, either: “And stop touching your face.”She’s not done, either: “And stop touching your face.”