Friday, 7 February 2014

Side Effects. Warning: May Cause Tense Nervous Headache.


Is Steven Soderbergh an auteur? I mean really. What thematic links are there between projects as diverse as 'Sex, Lies and Videotape', 'Erin Brockovich', 'Traffic', 'Ocean's Eleven', 'Solaris', 'Haywire' and 'Side Effects'? Thank God for Wikipedia then, which helpfully points out that "while Soderbergh's subject matter is highly varied, many of his films feature as a central theme the exploration of the act or moral consequences of lying.' That's bang on the money and absolutely at the core of this superior psychological thriller. Somehow it manages to avoid the soap operatics of courtroom dramas and the absurdity of erotic thrillers whilst still remaining a thoroughly enjoyable "did she, or didn't she?" style potboiler in the style of 'Jagged Edge' or 'Basic Instinct'. It's Hitchcock-like in construction but has a very different kind of visual flair; filmed like a morose study of descent into the "poisonous fog bank" of depression. It an aesthetic that keeps the film grounded and believable.

It works as a character study, a mystery, a critique of the pharmaceutical industry, a meditation on the effects of depression and as entertainment. The plot twists feel like natural developments rather than scriptwriter beats. There's a strange tension throughout it all; a very different feeling to the usual humdrum feelings of suspense. It achieves something closer to existential dread. It's very disconcerting. 

Even Jude Law brings his 'A' game to the project. It's that good. 

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