#matt.......

I recall I spent my own high school prom night drinking coffee alone, reviewing the results of a practice calculus test, obsessively checking Facebook, and just generally being sad...but that’s neither here nor there.

*Spoilers*

In the movie “Contagion,” after everything blows over, Matt Damon’s character plans a kind of faux prom for his daughter.  The way they pull it off, it’s actually really touching.  His daughter, though not sick, simply has to stay inside for another few months because vaccine distribution is based on a lottery system.  Her boyfriend, who did just receive a vaccine, dances at “prom” with her in their house.  Matt Damon’s character (I’m just going to call him Matt Damon) decorates the entire living room to resemble prom, and instead of being sad about it she seems to actually be really happy.

If you look up COVID-19 and “music,” you may find this viral video.  I think it’s by far the most popular song on YouTube right now about this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c58pepicSI8

It’s COVID-19 from a high schooler’s perspective, a high schooler who presumably was already popular for music before this happened.  She tries to emphasize that she’s still young, she indirectly acknowledges that there are lots of people in the world who have it worse than her...

...But it sucks.  She just wanted to graduate.  It’s a song about that.

When it really comes down to it, Matt Damon’s arc is probably one of the most realistic when compared to COVID-19.  The movie obviously wasn’t written with COVID-19 in mind, as Matt Damon is only psychic in some movies, and we still have yet to see things descend into anarchy the way they do in the movie...but Matt Damon experiences denial, grief, anger, and then, at last...

Grief again.  His wife died shortly after having an affair.  When he reviews photos of her, that’s the part that’s supposed to be so poignant.  And as with COVID-19, obviously, we’re reaching a point in which lots of people are actually dying.  This article, written by Katie Couric, covers an interview with someone who just lost a 39-year-old husband to the disease

https://medium.com/wake-up-call/i-lost-my-husband-to-covid-19-d6c41240a461

In the beginning Matt Damon can’t even find a way to have a funeral service for his now dead son and wife, which is probably another extremely realistic part of the film.

It’s probably the best arc, since it’s the first and one of the last.  In fact, it leaves the viewer with a lot more questions.  How many people were naturally immune?  Why was Matt Damon’s blood not studied more closely?  Would a dance between a non-vaccinated person and someone who was just vaccinated pose health risks?  How did Matt Damon reconcile him?  Did he not just threaten him with a shotgun a few minutes before in the movie?