Contagion (2011)
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Full plot (contains spoilers)
Following the death of Beth Emhoff and her son after a trip to Hong Kong, the virus (MEV-1) spreads globally. Dr. Erin Mears tracks the initial cases but eventually dies from infection. At the CDC, Dr. Ally Hextall identifies the virus as a hybrid of pig and bat-borne viruses. While conspiracy theorist Alan Krumwiede exploits the panic to sell a fake remedy, Dr. Ian Sussman secretly continues research to find a cell culture, which eventually leads to a successful vaccine. Simultaneously, Dr. Leonora Orantes is kidnapped in Macau by Sun Feng, who seeks the first available vaccines for his village. The film reveals the origin of the virus: a bat colony was disturbed in China, leading to a contaminated pig being sold in a Macau casino, where Beth was infected via a handshake. The story concludes with the distribution of vaccines via lottery as the world begins to recover.
- First release year
- 2011
- Runtime (minutes)
- 106
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Steven Soderbergh
- Writers
- Scott Z. Burns · writer
- Cast and characters
- Matt Damon · Mitch Emhoff; Laurence Fishburne · Dr. Ellis Cheever; Jude Law · Alan Krumwiede; Gwyneth Paltrow · Beth Emhoff; Kate Winslet · Dr. Erin Mears; Bryan Cranston · Rear Admiral Lyle Haggerty; Jennifer Ehle · Dr. Ally Hextall; Elliott Gould · Dr. Ian Sussman; Chin Han · Sun Feng; Marion Cotillard · Dr. Leonora Orantes
- Genres
- medical thriller; thriller
- Themes
- mass panic; collapse of social order; scientific process; ethics in public health; interpersonal connections as vectors; human condition
- Tone and mood
- tense; scary; serious; precise; unsettling
- Premise and plot tags
- medical thriller; pandemic; bioweapon; conspiracy theory; public health
- Source material / true-story basis
- Inspired by real-life outbreaks such as the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak and the 2009 flu pandemic.
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics for its narrative, performances, and scientific accuracy. It gained renewed popularity in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 85% · scale: percentage · review count: 278
- Production trivia
- The film was inspired by the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak and the 2009 flu pandemic.; The film's script included a note from the writer to the director: 'read this and then go wash your hands'.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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