“Side Effects,” the newest psychological thriller film, is a cat-and-mouse game that keeps audiences wondering what the next escalation will be. Written and directed by Scott Burns and Steven Soderbergh, the creative team from such disparate films as “Contagion” and “Magic Mike,” “Side Effects” has a little bit of each genre, attempting to blend the medical mystery with sexy suspense.
The star-studded cast features Jude Law and Catherine Zeta-Jones as psychiatrists clashing over the care of emotionally volatile patient Rooney Mara (“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”). Though there are plenty of thrilling plot twists, the movie lacks inner focus, convoluting the plot line. What starts off as an apparent critique of American psychiatric care centered on an innocent victim of pharmacology quickly turns into a power struggle between all of the characters involved. Rooney Mara is the true star of the film; it is her performance that drives the action of the film from start to finish.
Like an action movie made solely for car-chase sequences, “Side Effects” seems equally shallow, focusing primarily on the aforementioned power struggle. Fortunately, Soderbergh knows how to pack the film full of conspiracy and scheming, keeping audiences’ interest. Slowly and bit by bit, the confused motives of the characters are revealed, maintaining the film’s dramatic tension for the full 106 minutes.
Mara stars as Emily Taylor, a depressed woman who begins psychiatric medication when her husband (Channing Tatum), imprisoned for insider trading, returns home. However after starting the medication Taylor becomes suicidal, suffers with sleepwalking episodes and turns violent. Her behavior turns into a national scandal when she is put on trial for murder, claiming the pills were at fault. Jude Law’s Jonathan Banks is her expert witness, also having been the one to put her on the medication in the first place. As Banks’ life unravels from the scandal, he becomes bent on revenge and is convinced that Taylor’s last psychiatrist—an icy cold Zeta-Jones as Victoria Siebert—set him up.
In a series of realistic encounters, Banks meets with Siebert and the imprisoned Taylor, determined to find out the truth and clear his name. This is the first time the movie begins to fall apart, for Banks’ intentions are muddled and unclear—we are allowed to see his behavior but are given no insight into his inner thoughts. As a central player Banks is the weakest of the movie’s characterizations. Taylor’s character is not well developed either, but Mara’s performance is compelling enough to convince you that you understand the character.
For all the intrigue of the plot, the movie lacks explanation, leaving audiences puzzled instead of offering dramatic insight. Twists though there may be, backstory is nearly absent. Without fully understanding the history of the characters, it is difficult to understand the over-the-top behavior of both the doctors and the patient. Hints are given as to what their past lives may be, but nothing is explicitly told.
The cinematography is as blunt as the subject matter, made up for a series of hard close-ups and long pan-outs. While the soundtrack, as with most of the acting, is forgettable, “Side Effects” is well paced and confident. The film is at its best when embracing the “thriller” genre. If audiences are able to suspend disbelief for a while, “Side Effects” can be a gripping, compelling drama; if, however, you are looking for a story with a deeper message, you will not find one here.
