Contagion (2011)

In a crisis, courage and cooperation can hold people together, even as fear threatens to tear society apart. Steven Soderbergh's "Contagion," written by Scott Z. Burns, follows the rapid spread of a deadly new airborne virus that begins when businesswoman Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) returns home to Minnesota from a trip to Hong Kong. Within days, the disease is spreading around the globe. As her husband, Mitch (Matt Damon), struggles to protect their daughter, CDC officials led by Dr. Ellis Cheever (Laurence Fishburne) and field investigator Dr. Erin Mears (Kate Winslet) race to track and contain the outbreak, while the World Health Organization's Dr. Leonora Orantes (Marion Cotillard) traces its origins in Asia. Meanwhile, researchers rush to develop a vaccine, and a conspiracy-minded blogger (Jude Law) fans public panic. Told with realism and restraint, it's a gripping, sobering look at how the world might respond to a global pandemic.