Side Effects

SIDE EFFECTS

Last night I saw Side Effects, a compelling psychological thriller that starts out a bit confusing but quickly gets into an absorbing and thought provoking story about a psychiatrist (Jude Law) who prescribes a brand new medication for a brand new patient who attempted suicide.  Everything seems to be going well, in spite of some side effects like sleep-walking, until the woman stabs her husband.  Her trial raises question about the psychiatrist, the drug, and the industry that lead to some surprising, clever, and original plot twists that put this film in a category of favorites like Signs and The Prestige — though there is nothing supernatural about Side Effects, just refreshing surprises in a tightly woven plot.