Review of Side Effects (2013) by Antonius B — 26 May 2016

This movie will sneak up on you. I have to say first, I advise not knowing anything about it before watching it, or as little as possible. In the spirit of that sentiment, I will keep this brief. The movie starts off slowly, with a young woman (Rooney Mara) suffering from depression and seeking medication.

Just bear with it. Soderbergh is sly in his pacing and how he unfolds the story, and as questions inevitably turn to her psychiatrist (Jude Law) and precisely what happened after she takes the pills, the film reminds one of a very solid Hitchcock film.

Suspense and tension are created in cerebral ways, without a lot of over-the-top action, which is a pleasure to see. Mara and Law help considerably with that as they both turn in good performances, as does Catherine Zeta-Jones, despite her lesser screen time.

Very well made, and definitely worth watching.