Side Effects - "They want to steal my life!"
Being fooled is part of the fun. Reported to be Steven Soderbergh's final film, instead of going out with a bang he delivers a post-modern Hitchcockian thriller. What's interesting about the characters is that everyone has a secret, a snake coiled & ready to strike. We are at the heart of mental illness, or at least we think we are. Set in the world of pharmacology we are shown a dubious side to psychiatrists as they gamble with medications to see what might work and the risks involved including these looming "Side Effects". Rooney Mara stars as Emily a girl who is depressed and fearful of the world, her husband Martin played by Channing Tatum is newly released from prison for insider trading on Wall Street which adds stress to Emily's life and eventually she snaps and drives her car into a brick wall at high speeds, she is admitted to the hospital where Dr. Jonathan Banks played by Jude Law is tasked with being her psychiatrist. He prescribes Zoloft to help with the depression but it doesn't work. Emily's home life is slowly shattering, she has lost her sex drive & Martin still hasn't found a job. Jonathan seeks out Emily's previous psychiatrist Dr. Victoria Siebert played by Catherine Zeta-Jones who in turn recommends "Ablixa" a new drug for depression that's in the trial stages.
It is next to impossible to discuss this film without spoiling it. The film does a brilliant job in making you think it's going to follow Path A. When suddenly it switches to Path B. It's a very rewarding film where the less you know about it the better, don't watch a trailer and you probably shouldn't even read this review. There are so many twists and turns in this film, that you have to go in with your thinking cap on just to keep up. I originally was skeptical of seeing it because it looked reminiscent of "Fatal Attraction" just another film where a female lead goes insane and that's the formula it would apply, except surprisingly it isn't! The way in which it was shot, along with the colour schemes made it hypnotic, the performances are terrific and it's the right running time. For heavy subject matter like this you can't make a 2 hour film, this settles on a comfortable 95 minutes. It's a breath of fresh air to the dramatic/thriller genre, I didn't like a single character in the film, their performances are all top notch but they aren't people you warm to. Even if you do find yourself siding with one character your allegiances will change as the story unfolds, which gives the story terrific character arcs.
If there are any criticisms it would be that the entire movie is based in the grey area, nothing is black & white and that the motions the protagonist goes through to achieve his/her goal are overly complicated to solve a reasonably simple issue. Sound vague? From start to finish it should keep you guessing as to what's real and what isn't, paranoia is always one of the most interesting thought processes an actress/actor can play with, and in this film it's handled delicately. The film never portrays mental illness carelessly rather it portrays it respectfully which is needed in today's society. Highly recommended, go in blind & come out satisfied. 5/5
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