As a subcategory of the horror genre, the exorcism film does not have the best reputation. For every The Exorcist, there are a dozen Posessed’s and Beyond the Door’s. Yet, when done well, there is rarely something as profoundly [...]
In the landscape of horror, rarely are the scenarios as probable as that presented in Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion. While the concept of a brute that wears human skin for clothes and sleeps with his chainsaw is terrifying, and the idea of fairy-like creepers living in the fireplace might make one’s hair stand on end, seldom does something settle in such a quiet cool as the very realistic concept of an epidemic that kills indiscriminately and pushes aside all feeble human defenses. This chilling message is what Contagion attempts to communicate, but unfortunately, the film’s message is not as infectious as its subject.
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| Marion Cotillard takes a turn as an epidemiologist. |
One would assume that with an ensemble of such time-tested actors, the film’s emotional core would hold the strength. Instead, the actors struggle to pack sensation into largely stale dialogue. While Damon manages to force in some endearing earnestness as he protects his daughter, the other storylines are overshadowed by the vastness of the threat. As a result, many of the twists and jabs–in particular, Law’s cheeky narcissist–smack of phoniness, like a doctor attempting to make a joke while delivering a cancer diagnosis.
Perhaps this is because the antagonist of the film is so much more developed and fully realized than any of the characters. The opening of the film shows us the progress of Beth’s succumbing to the disease. Paltrow gives a disturbingly fantastic performance as she experiences brutal seizures at home, and the hospital. There is no question as to how deadly this threat is.
The result is a feeling of suspicion, like that felt while watching news coverage. Clearly, they aren’t showing us the full picture. There are bodies in the back room that we aren’t seeing, and there are children crying somewhere that we can’t hear.
The choice to release the film on the weekend of September 11th’s tenth anniversary is interesting, as it, surely deliberately, pairs the one-time horror of a devastating event that left so many innocents dead with the motiveless brutality of an epidemic. However, this comparison is most felt in the draw of the film; just as millions watched and rewatched video of the planes hitting the Twin Towers, the viewer watched the contagion’s spread not out of personal connection to those affected, but rather out of a recoiling horror and fascination.
Contagion’s great flaw, then, is that it attempts to combine two films into one. On the one hand, it is an exciting study of a potential scenario that has left the human race devastated, and could do so easily at any time. On the other hand, it is a treatment of the personal tolls–familial, professional, moral, economic–that such an event would take. Unfortunately, it does not successfully meld or juxtapose the two sides, resulting in a project that seems constantly uncomfortable with its current storyline.
The result? Walking out of the theater, viewers may not be filled with the intended cold fear, but they certainly aren’t touching the banister on their way out.
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