JHON ALBERT C.

ROBLEDO 09 / 05 / 2021
BSMT2-B Sir. Hyginus Aguiluz
Movie Review
THE FLU (2013)
This medical disaster movie in South Korea depicts how
the Korean city known as Bundang becomes a ground zero
due to the catastrophic effects of a rampant and mutant
airborne disease. The movie is eventful that shows a lot of
happenings like harrowing realism, government duplicity,
and dripping sentimentality. In the movie, it was identified
that the infectious disease that brought chaos to the city is a
mutated form of the particular avian flu, a strain called in
the film H521. This initially started in the country Hongkong
where Southeast Asian people were smuggled to South
Korea. One of these people is a Filipino, named Monssai in
the film. These people carry a contagious disease that
mutated to an extremely virulent strain after containment in
a cargo container. The disease killed the majority of humans it came into contact with, the
primary reservoirs, or organisms capable of carrying and spreading the disease and surviving,
were rats and birds. Nevertheless, the character of Monssai serves also as a human reservoir.
He fled into the Bundang metropolitan area and spread the disease, but he did not die from it.
He was the first known case not succumb to the disease and yet still remain symptomatic and
surviving. The virus is transmitted indirectly into the air and describe as an airborne pathogen.
The transmission of the virus happens because of the coughing and sneezing causing the
particles from bodily mucosal to disperse in the environment and people inhaled those
particles.
Aside from the virus, we can also see the chaotic government handling the situation.
The government’s ruthless containment brought a dramatic stake to the city. This movie wants
us to see that when the government is helmed by craven men who care only about themselves,
people will suffer the consequences every day. Nothing that scares me about the movie is when
the government officials hid to the people about what will happen to the dead people because
of the virus. Their dead bodies were treated like trash bagged in plastic and dumping them into
a pit to be burned. Indeed, that is horribly and monstrously wrong to treat people as if they are
disposable.
The spread of the disease spread from person to person through droplets produced
while coughing and sneezing. In the movie, the avian flu spread through indirect contact with
the droplets coming from an infected person. It spread throughout the whole city. The
outbreaks of avian flu were prevented in the movie by isolating those infected people into a
separate place away from the healthy people. Also, the government in the movie provides
many protective masks. They give tests to people to know who are infected who are not
despite the chaotic scene in the film. As we discovered in the film, one of the survivors in the
cargo container who is symptomatic but remains steady and calm is the only way to find a cure
by using his blood to get some antibodies and make some vaccines. Unfortunately, the boy died
because he was stabbed by the human trafficker who kept them in the container. Before those
events, the little girl named Mirre was infected, but through the help of her mother she was
able to inject the antibodies into Mirre and she recovers from the flu. That is why Mirre can
serve as the cure for many people who are infected and not through the antibodies in her
blood. That is how the avian flu prevented and cured.
I want to commend the characters of this film:
Firstly, the hero of them all, Ji-goo. His desperation and obsession with the female lead
were a little foolish, yet I guess this is to make the story become crazier and a little sweeter.
Aside from that, his desperation and determination to save the life of an ill kid by risking his
own life. I wonder if, in today’s period, we still have this kind of person.
The next cast is the Doctor and a Mum. The character of In-hye is perhaps the most
difficult during the film. She’s an immunologist who helped to develop the vaccine for the avian
flu. Apart from that, she’s also the mother of a little girl. Her character seems to be an
inspiration for every mother in the world and an example to many doctors.
Of course, the President. We all know for a fact the politicians are usually cold-blooded
ones. He fought against his subordinates and foreign people. Also, I think he did a great job of
giving decisions on bringing out the dilemma.
Indeed, this film portrays humanity, desperation, love, hope, violence vengeance, and
camaraderie. The characters were marvelous.
The moral lesson in this film, firstly, human trafficking is an extremely unlawful thing. It
disregards human dignity and rights. As much as possible, respect other people regardless of
their status in life, race, or nationality. Secondly, we need to learn how some important good
etiquette, especially, cough etiquette. It is clearly shown in the movie that people lack this
action. This action is important as it reduces the spread of respiratory illness to other people.
Most importantly, nowadays, where coronavirus is rampant. Wear a protective mask if you
have a cough or something that do think is contagious to other people. Lastly, being loving and
caring towards humanity. The situation is extremely dangerous in the movie, I don’t blame
other people for taking care of themselves first because that is an inevitable necessity for
survival. However, giving small care and help to other people is priceless whether it is a
material thing or a support system. This is why I admire the character of Ji-goo who values the
lives of other people than his own life. The movie, Flu, is such an inspirational film to others not
because of the situation they are in, but the message it gives to people. This movie is highly
recommended for all.