'Ablixa', one pill can change your life - just be prepared to deal with the consequences! Side Effects I have to say is one of the top films of this year. With a fairly Hollywood type cast, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Channing Tatum and Ronnie Mara, my first impressions were that this is just going to be a bit of a standard film with the names of actors carrying it. However Soderbergh proved me wrong. This is a gem with a strange Indie type feel that keeps your eyes transfixed to the screen, because if you look away even for a second you will run the risk of missing something integral.
So...the narrative revolves around depression. Deep, dark places you can't get out of, but fear not because 'Ablixa' is here to save the day supplied by Dr. Victoria Siebert (Zeta-Jones). A new drug in it's first few throws of trials but nevertheless apparently it is fit for consumption after Emily Taylor (Ronney Mara) has a tumbling breakdown and takes it to see if it would help. Well it does to a certain extent - before she starts sleep walking (or sleep cooking should I say) and oh yeah ends up committing murder. Oh spoilers alert, I am sorry! And I really don't want to give anything away as I would be spoiling it. Put it this way as the plot thickens and you become lost in the chaotic minds of the depressed, the twists and turns that part away from the initial plot will creep up on you quickly. The camera work compliments this branch away from reality making you fully aware that there is a camera and it did take a crew to make this film happen. I think we have Soderbergh to thank for that providing us with that utterly independent quality that so much cinema lacks today. Browsing through Soderbergh's work, it is evident to see how the film unfolds, with throw backs to previous work such as Ocean's Eleven (2001) and the hospitalized scenes from the more recent Contagion (2011), but by no means does this man borrow anything from his earlier constructions. Side Effects show us what he can really do. Enough about the director - Rooney Mara steals the show for me and gives her a chance to act without hiding behind all the piercings and tattoos she had in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) and equally Jude Law delivers a solid performance that he is more than capable of.
A cinematic experience that will linger - 5 out 5 in my book.
So...the narrative revolves around depression. Deep, dark places you can't get out of, but fear not because 'Ablixa' is here to save the day supplied by Dr. Victoria Siebert (Zeta-Jones). A new drug in it's first few throws of trials but nevertheless apparently it is fit for consumption after Emily Taylor (Ronney Mara) has a tumbling breakdown and takes it to see if it would help. Well it does to a certain extent - before she starts sleep walking (or sleep cooking should I say) and oh yeah ends up committing murder. Oh spoilers alert, I am sorry! And I really don't want to give anything away as I would be spoiling it. Put it this way as the plot thickens and you become lost in the chaotic minds of the depressed, the twists and turns that part away from the initial plot will creep up on you quickly. The camera work compliments this branch away from reality making you fully aware that there is a camera and it did take a crew to make this film happen. I think we have Soderbergh to thank for that providing us with that utterly independent quality that so much cinema lacks today. Browsing through Soderbergh's work, it is evident to see how the film unfolds, with throw backs to previous work such as Ocean's Eleven (2001) and the hospitalized scenes from the more recent Contagion (2011), but by no means does this man borrow anything from his earlier constructions. Side Effects show us what he can really do. Enough about the director - Rooney Mara steals the show for me and gives her a chance to act without hiding behind all the piercings and tattoos she had in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) and equally Jude Law delivers a solid performance that he is more than capable of.
A cinematic experience that will linger - 5 out 5 in my book.
Directed By Steven Soderbergh
106mins, 15 (2013)
This is a square sweet that looks round - from the start gives the impression of a Constant Gardener-style thriller with an anti-pharmaceutical theme, but changes genre halfway to become something even smarter. Slightly silly ending though...
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