Contagion

The Next Reel Film Podcast

"How are we defining ‘contained?’"

While working on The Informer! with Steven Soderbergh, screenwriter Scott Z. Burns was inspired by a scene with Matt Damon ranting about the germs Scott Bakula’s character left on a phone to explore the idea of a viral pandemic. From there, Contagion was born. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we conclude our disease film series with Soderbergh’s 2011 glimpse into how the world deals with a new disease outbreak.

We talk about why this film works so well for us (and possibly not for other people), looking at the nature of a disease film that has such scope while maintaining its human touch. We discuss the idea of the terribly named ‘hyperlink cinema’ and why it works well for Soderbergh in the telling of this tale. We look at the many, many actors who lent their skills to tell each of these small stories, notably Jennifer Ehle as a CDC scientist who willingly puts herself in harm’s way to see if the cure works. We touch on Soderbergh as DP and what he’s bringing to the table with that hat on. And we hit on Cliff Martinez and his music he brings to the table for Soderbergh, even if it doesn’t stand out outside the film.

It’s a great way to finish our series and we’re glad to have discussed it here. Check it out!

Film Sundries

• Watch this film: iTunes • Amazon
• Script Transcript
• Original theatrical trailer
• Original poster artwork
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd

Trailers of the Week

• Andy's Trailer: Rings — "This a sequel none of us were asking for and likely a sequel that won’t be that good. But I’ll still watch it. Maybe not in a movie theatre, but it’s something I’d rent. Yeah, I’m kinda the market for these."
• Pete's Trailer: Mr. Church — "I have a soft spot for Eddie Murphy. This match up gives him the opportunity for a Driving Miss Daisy experience and I’m all for it. Britt Robertson might just get a shot at a role with some meat to it, something to challenge the sweetness she wears on her sleeve."