Side Effects (2013)

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Story: Scott J. Burns

Cast: Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, Catherine Zeta-Jones

Music: Thomas Newman

Time: 106 minutes

Bottom-line: Smartly written, and superbly acted

Steven Soderbergh’s psychological thriller film is, sadly, one of his most underrated and unrecognised films. While it may not have big stars or an action-packed script, Side Effects is a quiet, smart thriller with enough twists to keep your pulse racing at all times.

 

Law as Dr. Banks

Martin Taylor (Tatum) has just completed a four-year prison sentence for insider trading. His wife is Emily (Mara), who has been severely depressed in his absence, and is under medication for the same. Despite her attempts to bring back the romance in the relationship, she doesn’t get any better. When she drives her car into a wall in a suicide attempt, she is assigned a psychiatrist: Dr. Jonathan Banks (Law), who prescribes her a set of antidepressants but none of them seem to work. Banks visits Emily’s previous psychiatrist, Dr. Victoria Siebert (Zeta-Jones), who suggests a new experimental drug. This works, but Emily has sleepwalking as a side effect. When Emily stabs Martin to death in one of her sleepwalking episodes, who is to blame? Is she insane? Is it the new drug? Is it negligence from Dr. Banks? Or is it all a conspiracy?

 

Mara as Emily

The first thing I liked about the film is how clean the story is. In a plot involving a lot of characters, a lot of complicated incidents, the sequence of events is neat. It unfurls like a proper mystery thriller, with the build-up, the high point, the investigation and the climax. From the time of the murder to the last scene, there are startling twists around every corner. In a tale full of manipulative schemes, I like the way the film focuses only on the battle of wits without bringing in any needless violence or stunts.

 

Zeta-Jones as Dr. Siebert 

Rooney Mara’s performance as the disturbed and depressed patient is the best of the lot. As we learn more about the true nature of her character, the more we appreciate the way she portrays all the different emotions and disguised traits. Jude Law’s determined and intelligent character brings a lot of energy to the screen. Zeta-Jones, with her diabolical behaviour and equivocal statements, is by far the shadiest character in the film. The acting, overall, is so good that you will never find out who is the “white” character and who the “grey” one is.

 

Tatum as Martin

There is not a single dull moment in the film. Few scenes give the viewers hints to guess what’s happening, as we uncover the mystery along with Dr. Banks. The script is so crisp and the way the psychological games are played is brilliant. Just when you think Siebert has the upper hand, Banks pulls something unexpected to get even with her. The acting is top notch, the cinematography and score are effective, and I fail to see why this film isn’t given the praise it deserves. One of the best thrillers in recent times, I strongly recommend this film.

My Rating: 4/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 83%

Ex-Machina (2015)

Director: Alex Garland

Story: Alex Garland

Cast: Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac

Music: Ben Salisbury, Geoff Barrow

Time: 108 minutes

Bottom-line: A deeply intriguing sci-fi thriller

To erase the line between man and machine is to obscure the line between men and gods.

This directional debut of Alex Garland gives him a firm footing in the film industry. Starring Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander and Oscar Isaac in the lead roles, Ex-Machina is a futuristic sci-fi thriller about a humanoid robot.

Isn't it strange, to create something that hates you?

Caleb Smith (Gleeson) is a programmer for the search engine company, Blue Book. He wins a competition which gives him a chance to visit the isolated house/research facility of the CEO, Nathan Bateman (Isaac). Nathan lives alone apart from a servant, Kyoko (Sonoya Mizuno) – who neither understands nor speaks English – and a humanoid robot with AI, Ava (Vikander). Caleb’s job is to test whether Ava has a “consciousness”, despite knowing the fact that she is a robot. As the sessions go by, Ava and Caleb become attracted to each other. Ava is able to trigger temporary power shortages that allow them to speak without Nathan watching them. During one such power outrage, Ava tells Caleb that Nathan is a liar and cannot be trusted. When Nathan passes out drunk one night, Caleb decides to explore the house. What he finds makes him question everything around him: why was he chosen? What’s the real job Nathan wants him to do? 

 

Gleeson as Caleb (left) and Isaac as Nathan

Given that this is Garland’s debut film, the major highlight is the simplicity. While the visual effects are outstanding (James Cameron would be proud), the story otherwise is simple, clean and crisp, with minimalistic dialogue and characters. Once the story starts, the dialogues between Caleb and Nathan give us sufficient character intros, and we know that Caleb’s job is to perform a Turing test on Ava, but the plot twists keep coming one after the other. By the end, you realise that you, as a viewer, have been manipulated as well. Irrespective of whether the ending is justified or not, it is most certainly unexpected. Being able to fit in so many credible twists in a tale with minimal settings is indeed a skill.

 

Vikander as Ava

Whether or not AI will be able to do whatever Ava does is debatable, but while AI and robots in movies are becoming more common, Ex-Machina stands apart. The acting is another big boost to the film. Oscar Isaac’s narcissism and crooked personality are in stark contrast to Gleeson’s innocence and honesty. The mind games they play with each other – as well as the other thought experiments they discuss – make you wonder who really is ahead of the game. Alicia Vikander’s performance earned her a BAFTA nomination. The way she portrays the characteristics of a robot and a human at the same time is admirable.

With an absorbing storyline, and a chilling climax, Ex-Machina is a brilliant film by Alex Garland. It relies more on science than the action, which is what makes it different. Watch it for the visuals, as well as for Isaac’s and Vikander’s performances.

My rating: 4/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 92%

Annihilation (2018)

Director: Alex Garland

Screenplay: Alex Garland (based on the novel by Jeff VanderMeer)

Cast: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Oscar Isaac

Music: Ben Salisbury, Geoff Barrow

Time: 115 minutes

Bottom-line: A superb blend of science, suspense, violence and human life

Almost none of us commit suicide, but almost all of us self-destruct. 

My friend recommended this film to me, saying, “The last scene will make you question what you saw the past two hours!”, and I immediately knew I had to watch it. Alex Garland’s sci-fi horror-thriller stars Natalie Portman and Oscar Isaac in the lead roles, with Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez, and Tuva Novotny in the supporting roles. If you are one for a straight, clean film, fair warning: Annihilation is far from that. 

Fear what’s inside.

Lena (Portman) is a cellular biologist, whose husband is an Army Special Force Soldier, Kane (Isaac). He had gone on a mission over a year ago, and one day, suddenly returns home. He does not seem to remember anything about the mission, and also starts coughing up blood. Lena comes to know that he went to a government facility named “Area X” – where a large bubble-like structure called “the Shimmer” is expanding – and was the sole survivor. Lena volunteers to join a group of female researchers – psychologist Dr. Ventress (Leigh), scientists Josie (Thompson) and Cassie (Novotny), and a paramedic, Anya (Rodriguez) – who plan to go into the Shimmer to find out its nature. Once inside, they discover weird growth phenomena among plants, and are attacked by vicious, mutated animals. It is only a matter of time before they slowly start becoming insane, exactly like the earlier expedition.

 

Portman as Lena, and Isaac as Kane

Annihilation combines the science from films like Arrival, and the visceral imagery from films like 28 Days Later (also written by Alex Garland) and Alien, to give a thriller that gets your pulse racing. While many themes seem old or stale initially, you find yourself having a whole new experience as the film progresses. With regular jump scares and plot twists, this film requires a careful watch to catch some of the subtle hints, and more importantly, to understand the climax. Of course, there are numerous websites just waiting for a chance for films like these to come up with “The ending: explained” articles, and some such theories for this film are pretty intriguing.

 

Jennifer Jason Leigh as Ventress

With most science fiction films, there is a high expectation with regard to the visuals. Annihilation does not disappoint. From dazzling use of colour, to heinous imagery of skeletons, monstrous animals, and (lots of) blood, you will be awed and shocked at the same time. There’s a thin line which distinguishes sci-fi from the supernatural, and how you interpret the last few incidents in the lighthouse is up to you, but the special effects are superb. The other aspect that boosts the film is the acting, especially the powerhouse performance by Natalie Portman, aptly supported by Jennifer Jason Leigh. I like how the movie has minimal dialogue – there are several long stretches of time without anyone talking, but you are so immersed in the film by just watching what’s going on in the screen that you don’t even feel that something is missing.

 

The crew of researchers

The story is confusing - and even more so with the timeline shifting back and forth - and as mentioned earlier, the ending is a cliff-hanger. But if you are one for open-ended films, this is a must-watch. A few questions will definitely remain unanswered, but that’s when you take the “science” part of the science fiction with a pinch of salt. All that said, if you just want entertainment, add this to your watch-list.

My Rating: 4/5

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 88%