CONTAGION (Soderbergh, 2011) - I didn’t plan this movie to be a part of my October-horror-catch-up, but it sorta fits: sure, it’s not the kind of scary that makes you jump, but it is the kind that makes you shudder (also: get a laughing fit when your neighbor in the cinema coughs. Apparently.)
I can understand that some complain that the movie is too fragmented, but it worked for me: it gives you a sense of a global panic (with, obviously, 75% Americans, but still), and the individual stories are very efficiently sketched. You only need one speech from doctor-lady Elizabeth Bennet to understand her motivations, and a one-minute scene with Marion Cotillard to understand the developments of an entire year. Because of this economy, the film can keep the pace up, flitting from one place to the next, showing the spread not only of the virus, but also of fear and misinformation. And in case “the disease” is too abstract a foe, Jude Law’s there to provide a target for your hate.
