5/5
Steven Soderbergh's Side Effects is an utterly absorbing film of the highest caliber. It is so phenomenal that I will simply urge everyone to see it immediately. This review will still be here when you come back, and you can read it then. The movie is pristine, with a story that is compelling from start to finish. The writing is finely-tuned to the daily grind of medical professionals, with an impeccable ear for realistic dialogue, and an authentic sense of paranoia regarding malpractice. A movie focusing on each individual element with the level of skill seen here would be commendable, but Side Effects weaves them all together and throws in hints of sinister subterfuge to underpin the movie.
The film begins by entrenching us in the banalities of depression, and the movie is about as far from exciting as you can get. It fills each frame with Instagram-style mood shots that are surprisingly evocative and effective. The story unfolds from there, evolving into a shocking murder mystery and its innumerable unexpected consequences. We are thrust into a legal battle that should frighten any practicing physician--one of the movie's greatest triumphs is how eerily accurate this situation feels--but it is not over yet. Soderbergh continues to mesmerize us with a twist ending that upends not only the framework of the film, but of the characters therein.
Every aspect of this movie fascinated me. I was absorbed and engaged, watching it with a delighted smile the entire time--up until the gasp of horror at the finale, that is. Soderbergh has perfected his techniques and he can retire from film knowing he made a masterpiece. On top of the thematically-rich script, he gives us crisply-filmed cinematography, tightly-cut editing, and expertly-cast acting. Honestly, I cannot stop thinking about this chilling film. It unnerves patients and doctors in all the right ways, forces us to contemplate the failings of our current health care system, and does it all with unerring style. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2053463/