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The relationship between art and real life has been debated for centuries. What imitates what, no one can say for sure. However, since the inception of the craft of film-making, film-makers have been portraying health disasters on screen. Sometimes, the movies are based on real life disasters like the Black Death in medieval times and others are a figment of the creative’s imagination like the zombie apocalypses. Here is a list of five of the best movies ever made on health disasters:
Contagion (2011)
Directed by Steven Soderbergh, the 2011 American medical thriller follows a rapid outbreak of a deadly airborne virus worldwide. Beth, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, returns home from Hong Kong and dies suddenly of a mysterious infection, which also kills her young son. Her husband Mitch (Matt Damon) , though, is immune to the virus. Soon, the deadly infection turns into a worldwide epidemic. The film follows Mitch and a team of international scientists as they run against time to first, understand the virus and then, to find a cure. Reminds you of something recent?
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Outbreak (1995)
The 1995 film was one of the first of its kind. With the help of a white-headed Capuchin monkey, a virus from Africa is smuggled to North America. This killer Motaba Virus (Fictionalised Version of Ebola Virus) brings death and destruction to a small town in California. The film directed by Wolfgang Peterson stars Kevin Spacey, Dustin Hofman, Rene Russo, and Morgan Freeman in the lead roles
How To Survive A Plague (2012)
Unlike the previous two films on the list, How to Survive A Plague is based on real life footage from the 1980s and 90s, which tells the story of the fight by the gender and health activists for the homosexual community, as the community was the biggest victim of the rise of AIDS. The film follows the journey of a group of Greenwich Village based AIDS activists, most of whom were associated with ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power), from 1987 to 1996, when AIDS was at its most rampant. The film not only tracks the rise of the sexually transmitted virus worldwide but also serves social and political commentary on how the notion among the public regarding AIDS was that the disease had to be a ‘punishment’ from God to the ‘Homos’ (a derogatory term used for homosexuals).
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Black Death (2010)
As the name suggests, the film is based on the Bubonic plague pandemic that ran havoc in Europe from the year 1346 to 1353, nearly wiping out 50 million lives, which was half of the population at the time. The 2010 action horror film directed by Christopher Smith is set during the time of the first outbreak of bubonic plague in England, where a young monk is given the task of learning the truth about reports of people being brought back to life in a small village. Black Death delivers the fire and brimstone violence its subject matter warrants, while posing some interesting questions of faith and religion.
Longtime Companion (1989)
Although fictional, unlike How to Survive A Plague, the Longtime Companion also takes AIDS as the subject matter and very subtly depicts how the virus devastated lives within the gay community especially in the 80s. Directed by Noman Rene, the 1989 film is a sensitive take on the spread of AIDS, and builds to a moving finale involving a group of gay men and their straight female friend who are confronting the spread of AIDS.
Conclusion
From medieval plagues to modern pandemics, these films present gripping narratives in an attempt to explore mankind’s resilience, fear, and hope in the face of deadly health crises. They remind us that storytelling can be a powerful way to reflect, educate, and inspire.