Film review: Side Effects is an unassuming silent thriller

Silent and thriller don’t exactly go together, but that’s exactly what director Steven Soderbergh has crafted with his latest film. Side Effects is the story of twentysomething wife Emily (Rooney Mara), who has waited four years for her husband Martin (Channing Tatum) to get out of prison; he’s serving time for insider trading. As Martin returns, so does Emily’s depression — and in the wake of a suicide attempt, she’s seeking help, whether she likes it or not, from psychiatrist Jonathan Banks (Jude Law). The only problem is that Dr. Banks is having difficulty trying to treat Emily’s depression, so he seeks help from her previous psychiatrist Victoria Siebert (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Dr. Siebert recommends that Emily try a new drug that’s just come out on the market: Ablixa.

And, well, the film’s title rings true to the plot: there are some side effects.

Soderbergh works Side Effects like two films in one. The first half is very detailed and meticulous, taking us down the mundane life of the depressed. Like a vignette, it even treats the most morose and morbid natures of the film in the most intimate way. The second half raises the stakes. Everyone has something to lose and soon you’ll realize —

Well, I shouldn’t give that away.

But even when the midpoint of the film begins, Soderbergh never stops treating the film like that slice-of-life and our main cast executes solid performances. You won’t find any huge production numbers where the filmmakers command that you realize an event that just took place was game-changing. Twists and turns take place that lead to even more, like any thriller, but they’re never unsubtly signified by a huge orchestra and they never once insult your intelligence. Hopefully you’re into that, but perhaps you don’t think its worthwhile to see in a theater (even I must admit that it could get a bit flat in the vacancy of an auditorium). Regardless, it’ll take you by surprise… and might even have you cringing in your seat.

Or, if the film does its job right, wide-eyed and mouth agape.

Grade: B+