Panacea

Production and year: USA, 2013 Original title: Side Effects Genre: drama, thriller Screenplay: Steven Soderbergh Director: Scott Z. Burns Cast: Rooney Mara, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Channing Tatum Medical topics: depression; medical liability; pharmacotherapy as a source of profit Description: We meet one of the main characters, Emily, at a very difficult time in her life. Her husband, Martin, is in prison for financial fraud. Before he went to prison, Emily and Martin led a prosperous, happy life. Although his sentence is coming to an end, the situation remains tense, as Emily and Martin are struggling with financial problems. Emily falls into depression. Standard medications do not help and, at the same time, cause a series of adverse reactions in the patient. At Emily’s request, her psychiatrist, Dr. Banks, adds a new drug, Ablixa, to her treatment. Although the therapy proves extremely effective, taking Ablixa is accompanied by unusual side effects: Emily begins to sleepwalk and perform various activities in this state. It does not significantly affect Emily’s daily functioning, and besides, Martin always watches over her safety at night. Unfortunately, a tragedy occurs. During one of her sleepwalking episodes, Emily unknowingly kills her husband. Who is to blame in this situation? The doctor, who agreed to continue the therapy despite the risks? Or perhaps the murder was not caused by the drug, and Emily should be held accountable for it? It is noteworthy that although it was Emily who wanted to continue the therapy, many people blame the psychiatrist for the situation. We see how this mistake affects his career and mental state. This is not the only significant issue the film addresses. Another important issue is the impact of this type of tragedy on the pharmaceutical market and the profits reaped by various parties. The film also addresses other aspects of the increasingly recognized issue of how pharmaceutical companies and the interests of various groups influence treatment processes. I encourage you to watch it; in my opinion, it is one of the most interesting films to come out recently.