Carriers

Last night I watched the movie, Carriers. I can see why it went almost straight to dvd. It isn't that the acting was bad, I think they played their parts well. It wasn't that what happened wasn't realistic. It was. And that, in fact, was the problem. It was realistic in an 'all the main characters do all the wrong things and then most of them die' sort've way. (Yes, sorry, spoiler alert.) And because of that, there is no real hope, either for the characters or for humanity. In fact, it is the main characters' loss of their humanity that is the most depressing of all.

So, in honor of a really depressing movie about a pandemic that pretty much wipes out humanity (though not nearly so tear-inducing as I Am Legend when he lost his dog, yes, I wept), I thought I would write a blog on things to do/remember in the event of a major pandemic with 100% fatality.

First, keep in mind that there are no rules. Only common sense and compassion. If you lose either one, you will most likely die when you either do something stupid which catches up to you or you do something cruel which comes back to bite you. Keeping a set of rules is too rigid and doesn't take into account that at some point you will likely be on the other end. Also, if your rules are flawed, your plan is flawed. A flawed plan gets you killed. They had rules: the sick are already dead. Consequently, whenever anyone got sick, they were afraid to tell (allowing them to infect even more people) and they left them behind. This included parents, a man and his daughter, a girlfriend, a brother...everyone who tied them to any real reason for life. They left them sick and helpless and with no supplies and the knowledge that they were going to die, alone. One of humanity's worst fears. And they did it over and over again. And each time, they reinforced in their own mind the knowledge of what would happen to them. By the time they reach the beachhouse (more on that later) there isn't really any reason. They were going to hide there as family and loved ones. And all that was gone. In the end what they reached was a place, devoid of all meaning beyond a haunting reminder of what they had left behind; themselves.

Now for the other things they did wrong (the short list): 1) they put facemasks on after they enter buildings (it's a plague people, very contagious, and 100% fatal--put the masks on BEFORE you enter the obviously contaminated building); 2) upon entering every building, they yell out (maybe alerting others to your presence isn't a good idea, after all, you're a looter, maybe someone else has the same playbook); 3) they have only one weapon between them--a gun (you just watched someone get hunted down and shot by 'sport hunters', shouldn't you at least have a baseball bat?); 4) they stole a Malibu (a Malibu? THIS is your choice for post-apocalyptic vehicles? Seriously?); 5) they never get supplies ahead of time (note: get food and medication before you are starving or bleeding from a gunshot wound, and always get it when it's available); 6) they have no plan beyond the beach (do you fish? b/c if not, maybe the beach isn't the best choice. Maybe say, mountains, or places with water you can actually drink.)...

There were lots of other things done wrong. Truth is, most disaster movies are great b/c they teach you not what you SHOULD do, but you SHOULDN'T do. They're like Grimm brothers' fairy tales, only with explosions and monsters. Don't talk to wolves dressed like grandmas (or carry an ax if you do), don't kill geese that lay golden eggs (just trick them into thinking we have 12, not 24 hour, days), don't take up sewing or anything that involves sharp objects (though napping IS a good idea for beauty enhancement), and never eat apples (save those for teachers the day before your big final).

So in the end, Carriers may not be the best movie to watch with the kids, nor does it serve as a model for disaster (try the tv series Surviving Disaster for that), but it may be the best thing to watch to remind you of the importance of preparedness and humanity. With the first, you need not fear. With the second, you need not become what we fear. In the end, saving humanity is done only by saving it individually. Not exactly Christmastime material, but a valuable message nonetheless.