The spread of the Wuhan Coronavirus has captivated the attention of just about every person with access to a newspaper and internet connection, with hundreds dead, tens of thousands infected and literally millions under lockdown. Like any global epidemic, the Coronavirus has had ramifications for every facet of modern society, from schools to workplaces to hospitals and, most dramatically, to air travel. It’s a massively complex problem with equally massive consequences, and luckily for us, we can get a very digestible overview of it thanks to an excellent movie that mirrors current events with frightening accuracy: 2011’s Contagion.

Here’s an introduction to the plot, and stop me if it sounds familiar: A deadly virus (later given the name MEV-1) originating from farm animals in China makes contact with humans, who unwittingly spread it to others by touching various objects, neglecting to exercise proper hygiene standards, and traveling to other countries where it spreads across the world. The promotion of snake oil cures and nefarious government schemes from conspiracy theorists contributes to a breakdown in societal order, while government figures and medical experts are faced with ethical challenges in their race to find a vaccine. If the plot to Contagion sounds rather clinical (pun intended), that’s because it’s intended to be. Director Steven Soderbergh sought to make the most accurate dramatic depiction of a viral epidemic, but thanks to a masterful script and a host of top-tier actors (Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Bryan Cranston), the movie is immensely captivating without compromising on its focus on realism.

Contagion is masterful in the subtle way it shows how the virus spreads from character to character. The camera lingers on shots showing people touching door knobs, elevator buttons and cups, all without ever coming off as over-dramatic. The minimalist soundtrack, consisting mostly of electronic sequencers and droning, strikes a perfect balance by reinforcing the virus as an existential threat that nevertheless spreads in a most banal and uninteresting manner. The opening 15 minutes are as terrifyingly real as you will ever see in a dramatization of a viral epidemic, with infected people going about their lives, touching various surfaces in public while those around them remain completely oblivious.

The central takeaway of Contagion is that humans, for all our intellectual and physical capabilities, are haplessly predictable in the face of the worst that mother nature can throw at us. Much like the Coronavirus plaguing China and scaring the shit out of the rest of the world, the virus in Contagion is invisible, unpredictable, and prone to mutate for no rhyme or reason. It can come from any animal through a chance combination of all the worst factors, and once it spreads, it infects some while sparing others, and kills some of the infected while allowing others to recover with absolutely no rationale as to why some succumb to it while others survive. The humans, on the other hand, are reduced to animal-level survivalism against this existential threat. They loot stores, mob supply stockpiles, develop deep distrust among themselves, and, perhaps least surprising of all, prey on desperation by peddling fake remedies. Even those tasked with stopping the epidemic can’t resist their own ulterior motives, with one character secretly warning his lover to get out of the city before a quarantine can be put in place and another character kidnapping a WHO official in order to get his village to the front of the line for the vaccine.

These reactions aren’t something the writers dreamed up; anyone with a rudimentary understanding of human psychology can see this coming a mile away. Conversely, not even the most brilliant scientists in the world can anticipate these viruses or come up with a vaccine without a lot of time and effort. The brilliance of Contagion is that it builds the framework of its story entirely around careful research into its subject matter, and then injects just the right amount of dramatic flair to present a compelling story that has a beating heart at the center of its cold and calculating narrative. It’s a rare instance of a movie that can educate and entertain in equal fashion. You will learn about fomites, R-Nought, and how viruses are grown so that vaccines can be created, and at the same time you will be drawn into the extraordinary anguish the characters are forced into, such as the husband who discovers his wife’s infidelity after she succumbs to the virus, and the medical expert who refuses to stop trying to help people even as the virus eats away at her.

Whether it’s through a virus like the MEV-1 and Coronavirus, or a natural disaster like the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, mother nature’s way of reminding us that she’s still in charge in spite of all our technological and economic might is cruel and unknowable. What films like Contagion can teach us is to stand strong against such threats and not allow such threats to wipe away the virtues and morals we have worked so hard to cultivate and be overcome by our most animalistic instincts. And to wash our goddamn hands.