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Humans are social creatures and while we may like the occasional me time, being away from society for too long can be damaging. We crave social interaction and attention. It stimulates our minds and keeps us grounded and sane. Without it, we’ll go crazy. So, in these trying times when you are stuck between going crazy or dying from coronavirus what should you do? Well, for starters try to stay alive.
Take the COVID-19 threat seriously and practice social distancing and if you fear you might go a little cuckoo, here are three movies that explore similar pandemics and offer food for thought. You can’t go wrong with these. So, here take a look:
Contagion
This disease disaster movie is talk of the town right now and why wouldn’t be. It hits too close to our current reality.
So what is it about?
Beth is on her way back to US from a business trip in Hong Kong. On her way home she has a stop in Chicago where she meets a former paramour. Two days pass and suddenly she collapses in her house from seizures. Mitch Emhoff, her husband, rushes her to a hospital where she dies of the mysterious disease. When he comes home, he finds his stepson too has died in a similar manner.
Mitch is then put in isolation, but he is found to be immune to the disease and soon released. He then visits his teenage daughter Jory. By this time, representatives of the Department of Homeland Security contact Dr Ellis Cheever of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, expressing fear that the disease was a bioweapon. Cheever puts
Dr Erin Mears on the case who traces the outbreak to Beth. While trying to jump bureaucratic hurdles and gain funds to curb the spread of virus she herself succumbs to the disease.
The virus cannot be contained and cities soon go into quarantine. Looting and violence take over. This virus is found to share similarities with genetic material from pigs and of course bats. And what follows next is worth watching.
Outbreak
The story begins in 1967 during the Kisangani Mutiny. A deadly fever causing virus called Motaba is discovered in the jungles of Africa. The US Army decides to keep this virus a secret and orders destruction of the camp with infected soldiers.
Time flies by and 28 years later and an outbreak is reported in Zaire and a USAMRIID virologist, Colonel Sam Daniels, is sent to investigate the matter. His crew comprising Lieutenant Colonel Casey Schuler and Major Salt gather data and head back to State. Daniels superior officer dismisses the threat that the virus will spread so no preventive measures are taken.
On the other hand, a white-headed capuchin monkey carrying the virus gets smuggled into the country. She is stolen by a worker at an animal testing laboratory who wants to sell the monkey at a black market. He catches the virus and so does his wife and the guy he was selling it too. These three are quarantined and soon die. However, the spread cannot be contained.
Coronavirus also followed a similar pattern and if you want to know what might happen after the quarantine is over, you must watch this film.
The Flu
If you want to gain another perspective, you might want to look at this South Korean production. They’ve managed to handle the recent pandemic well so it would be interesting to see what their views are on the matter.
The contagion takes the life of illegal immigrants as they are being transported in a shipping container. The smugglers, two brothers Ju Byung-woo and Ju Byung-ki, find the dead bodies and the sole survivor Monssai. They also take video of the bodies to show to their boss. Monssai escapes putting others at risk, while Byung-woo who has become sick goes to a clinic with his brother infecting all they pass by.
Byung-woo starts vomiting black blood and is taken to an emergency room where he is isolated. Dr Kim In-hae of Contagion Center in Budang is called in and she postulates that the virus ended up getting mutated due to the condition in the container. Byung-ki is not cooperative and refuses to answer questions about the container. His brother dies, after which he exposes many of the hospital staff to the virus. In this story, you’re unlikely to find the government downplaying the threat and it makes for an interesting watch. Watch for yourself and you’ll see.
Final Words
Coronavirus is a real threat. The current situation may feel right out of the movies, but that is not because it is a fictional scenario. Humans have come across plagues and diseases before and these works of fiction are rooted in historical instances. So, use this time to watch these movies. They will surely help you learn how to cope with it all. Spectrum Select channel list offers a number of great movie channels where you’re sure to find quality content. So go ahead and do a movie marathon. You need it!
