Currently In Theaters: "Contagion"

Contagion:
noun
the communication of disease from one person to another by close contact 

I hadn't been to the movies in a long time, so my boyfriend and I decided it was time to go. The only movie I knew about was Contagion, so we thought we'd give it a try! Essentially, the movie outlines how a highly contagious disease spreads throughout society. The movie veers off in a couple of different directions to follow the lives of doctors, government workers and everyday people in order to portray their reactions to an epidemic. Even though these story lines are not well developed, the movie raises interesting issues about the political and sociological affects of an epidemic.

One theme Contagion holds is human interaction. More specifically, as the epidemic spreads, the human population become so fearful that it becomes normal to wear masks in public and not touch each other. At the end of the movie a vaccine is finally found. Due to the vaccine, people start to revert back to their old norms. For example, at the end of the movie one of the main characters shakes hands with a friend. The handshake holds symbolic meaning; because a vaccine is found, the handshake symbolizes the restoration of societal norms.

Also, Contagion explores the role of government involvement in a situation of epidemic. Essentially, the movie suggests that government workers use their knowledge to their advantage to save their families first instead of the public. To what extent is it fair that government workers can use their power to save and warn the people that they are closest too? It seems inevitable. Human nature seems to get the best of us during times of intense panic. 

What I especially loved about this movie is that it wasn't just another disease spreading movie with unrealistic zombies and an abundance of shooting. Contagion followed realistic possible scenarios derived from previous historical epidemics. 

Oh, and after watching this movie, I think I need to invest in hand sanitizer!