February 10, 2013

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What a fantastic movie with just the right amount of drama, deception and twists. I had heard that Side Effects had a twist in it, but I really didn’t see it until the end. And though I usually give away plot twists in spoilers, I’m going to do my best not to, because I really want everyone to see this film. What we think is a film about a woman who suffers from severe side effects of anti-depressants, turns out to be so much more.



The film opens on a bloody apartment and then goes back three months. Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara) is a 28-year-old woman who is awaiting her husband Martin’s (Channing Tatum) release from prison after. He was found guilty of insider trading and is eager to get back into society after a four-year jail stint. As Martin struggles to figure out how to get a job and get his life in order, Emily sinks into a deep depression. She tries to kill herself by driving into a parking garage wall. At the hospital, a psychiatrist, Dr. Jonathan Banks (Jude Law), comes to see her. He recommends she get admitted for a bit, but she refuses and convinces him that just seeing him several times a week should help.



As she goes to her therapy sessions, we learn that Emily lived a very rich lifestyle in Greenwich, Conn. with Martin before he was arrested and went to jail. She essentially lost everything and was forced to come to New York to find a job to support herself, while he was in prison. After he went away, she says she sunk into the depression and saw a Dr. Victoria Siebert (Catherine-Zeta Jones) in Greenwich. Dr. Banks puts Emily on some anti-depressants, but she says they are making her moody and listless. Banks goes to see Siebert to see if she has any advice, when she suggests putting Emily on Ablixa. Later on, after Emily almost jumps in front of a train, she goes to see Dr. Banks and also suggests that she go on Albixa. He agrees. However, soon Emily experiences bouts of sleep-walking. Though, Dr. Banks thinks she should try another drug, she wants to stay on it. And one night, she murders someone while she sleep-walks.



The second half of the film follows what happens to Dr. Banks after Emily takes a plea deal in the case. His life essentially unravels because people blame him for the murder. They say because he didn’t see the signs and prescribed the drug, he is at fault. His job and marriage suffer as a result. Dr. Banks soon starts to realize that there may be more to the case than means the eye and it’s not exactly cut and dry. He does some investigating on his own to figure out what the hell is going on and to get his life back together.

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As I said, I don’t want to give away the key points, but I will tell you that what he finds out is fantastic! This film has so much to it, murder, deception, drama and a slight bit of comedy. It has it all. I just hope that people actually see it, instead of writing it off as just another psychological thriller.