Contagion
Steven Soderbergh calls a horde of celebrities in “Contagion”, a paranoid thriller cleverly built on a virus that gradually decimated humanity. Maybe not the great fresco expected, but a portrait that freezes the blood and in breath holding.
An epidemic is about to span the globe, forcing humans to react to save their skin. As the fear sets in and it gives rise to reprehensible behavior and unsuspected, some individuals are fighting to curb the situation.
Returning to a project more “conventional”, “accessible” and “commercial” (three words that are honorable when properly used, as is the case here) after its diptych on the “Che” and his hilarious “The Informant!”, Steven Soderbergh questions the value of the human face of adversity. Several tremble; rely on their baser instincts to stay alive while others multiply heroic behavior. A fight at all times which, if not Manichean, remains deeply moral. In this regard, it is with a smile that the viewer discovers that the adulterous woman who engages in gambling will be punished, as those who eat meat…
The story masterfully done – which refers to “Traffic” from the same creator – leaves no room for chance. The direction is clear, precise, cut with a scalpel. The filmmaker goes on his plans to perfection, constantly changing countries, playing deftly stories and different slices of life, according to the pandemic from beginning to end in the days of noting as significant. A process not unlike length is sometimes superficial and artificial, but whose interest does not swerve from the introduction that captivates quickly to the conclusion in the form of joke.
The director has always surrounded himself with excellent actors and he excels again. All the performers are right, Matt Damon in mournful father to Gwyneth Paltrow as a victim ravaged by disease, by Jude Law, who brings a healthy dose of cynicism blogger control. Laurence Fishburne comes off the lot, being more sober than usual. Like Marion Cotillard’s exquisite and amazing Kate Winslet. Despite all that talent, the emotion was sometimes difficult to filter. Perhaps it is the fault of the narrative choices. In their desire to clarify the situation as a whole, the characters eventually suffer, movie lovers could not always focus correctly what happens to them. A disadvantage is that partially redeem the excellent music by Cliff Martinez.
Although it sometimes evokes “Blindness” and all zombie movies, “Contagion” is close mostly “Outbreak”, which also includes a host of stars including Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman and Donald Shuterland. Although the feature Wolfgang Petersen proved more entertaining, improbable and sentimental, Soderbergh contrasts with that of his analytical mind, more cold, cerebral and credible. This is perhaps the most frightening effort of the year.
