Thank you for joining us once again on this thought provoking journey of self reflection. It is important to remember that our opinions on this blog are a gentle guidance not an oppressive compulsory solution. This episode focuses on the movie titled Side Effects which stares Hollywood superstars Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Channing Tatum, and Rooney Mara. It is a movie about medications for depression that throws light on the ethics of medical practices and how people might attempt to exploit a system just to hide their wrongs.
This movie was nominated for five international awards, so read on as we delve into the hidden meanings and life lessons in this movie, and please endeavor to watch it for yourself and tell us your own take in the comments sections.
- Rehabilitation on No Remorse
Emily (Rooney Mara) visits Martin (Channing Tatum) in prison where he talks about being given a brochure by the social worker for re-integration into the society. This claim of reintegration into society poses several questions to the discerning mind. For example, we have identified the bonds of 'no remorse' that is a basic tenet of fraternities, which are the direct or indirect source of crime. So if criminals are bonded to 'no remorse' how then does the rehabilitation system of penitentiaries affect their cause? Well, for one we can't say offenders should go unpunished because that would be total mayhem, but we need to understand before we can effectively solve problems.
For more understanding of the bonds of 'no remorse' read the following movie reviews on this blog; Honey Don't, Confessions of a child of the century, 99 Moons, and The House on Fin Street.
- Reincarnation or Multiplication
At the psych, Dr. Jonathan (Jude Law) meets a patient who's running nuts because he saw his dead father driving a cab. I laughed at this one really hard, because I also see my dead father everywhere in the city I live. Oh, I even live with members of my family, individuals much similar to family members I left back in Africa and still communicate with. Its the usual doppelganger, reincarnation and multiplication aspect of our humanity. We are all offspring's of the 12 sisters of origin and we are a reincarnating and multiplying specie. Our human connection is written in our DNA and the internet makes it more visible. Even among the celebs you can identify the sameness of the actors and musicians, not only in style but in appearance as well. For example, the picture of Rooney Mara on IMDb movie cast section for this movie looks like a twin to Katy Perry.
For more explanation on reincarnation and multiplication by the 12 sisters of origin, see our eBooks section.
- Enslaved or Dedicated
Emily's dissatisfaction with Martin drives her to attempt suicide by bashing her car into a brick wall. We are given hints of her dissatisfaction during a sex scene and subsequent discussions about Martin's finances. There are two aspects of hidden meanings in these sequences. One is that most marriages lack sexual satisfaction and this stems from the problems associated with the systems of entrapment and enslavement of women. A woman who has been subject to harvesting gangbangs and passed around or stripped nude in public in pretended solidarity with fraternities would find little satisfaction in a missionary style husband. Moreover, the married woman is probably bonded to not accept more than missionary from her husband. The second hidden meaning is the enslaving dedication of a woman to a spouse who offers little to no benefit and this is sometimes evident in our society as men seek retribution for being cheated from their spouse. After all, who would the men accuse of causing their cheating when they never had any direct confrontation with anybody about losing out on the love of women?
- Depression a Tool
Emily feels depressed at a time when she should really be happy. Her husband just got released from jail and he was looking towards improving his finances. Therefore, Emily should be looking up to an improved state of things, but she succumbs to depression. Depression is a tool for societal control, a tool used to keep you from achieving your full potential because at the end of the day you are what you think you are. It is important to develop a good system for sustaining your mental health including books, support groups, and counselling. For example, in the book titled 'Happy For No Reason' by Marci Shimoff and Carol Kline, the authors state the following; "Gratefulness means experiencing "great fullness," feeling full in every moment, appreciating exactly what is. Gratefulness makes us happy".
Overcome depression or depressive sequences, may you glass be half full not half empty.
- Social Life or Social Attachment
Emily's depression doesn't help her in social cycles as she breaks down in tears for no reason, and both of them had to leave a party. This life lesson is important for everyone to learn. It is important to know what relaxes you, rather than bandwagoning or herd mentality. Emily does better in a more intimate setting while on a date with Martin and although she's on antidepressant, you can see the genuine joy in her face. The life lesson shows that just because you see provocatively sexual and attractive images of a place doesn't mean the people are happy. Some people, especially women are brutally enslaved but under a bond to not complain. Consider for example, sex workers who stand in the cold with skimpy clothes. Think about it, thongs and strap bras in a weather where the customers are putting on jackets. If you meditate on it, you'd get an idea of how wicked our world is. I shall never pay for sex again, because I have become aware of the true meanings and I do not want such businesses to thrive or continue to exploit our women.
- Moderation is Key
Taylor becomes dependant on antidepressant medications, but the anti-depressant meds are so powerful she becomes unusual. She sleep walks before dawn putting on loud music and mindlessly fixing breakfast for three, meanwhile she leaves alone with her husband. She ultimately ends up killing her husband with a knife during one of her sleep walks. This is a major life lesson on dependency. It implies that we always need to be cautious of dependency situations and dependant solutions. Its not just about drugs or debauchery, it also includes innocent activities like binge watching social media or morning coffees. If your state of mind becomes too dependant on an activity, take a second look and observe the enslaving tendencies. Ask yourself, what or whom you're serving with the compulsory habit, and reaffirm your independence by abstaining for a while. You might find more options that are more rewarding and satisfying. Just don't become automatedly mindless from simple activities. You're higher than that!
- Professionalism versus Being Humane
Dr. Jonathan comes under fire for neglecting to hospitalize Taylor because he thought she didn't pose a threat to others but she ended up killing her husband while sleep walking. This scene poses a question on the dilemma between being humane and being professional. This is very evident in various works of life, for example letting the little kid at the counter take a product even though he was 25 cents short, or giving your favorite student an A grade because he was only half a mark short and you know he really needs the credit. In truth, professionalism can never really replace the emotional aspect of our reality. The fraternities and crime syndicates, especially fraud, exploit the emotional lure of young women to enslave and defraud many people. Most companies still prefer an attractive female secretary, just like the churches would prefer attractive females in the front rows of choirs, and the clubs and bars would prefer female waiters (HOOTERS lol, I should visit). Anyways, on a serious note, emotional attachment can cloud our judgement and we should be careful especially in professional settings where it can be fatal.
- False Help
Dr. Jonathan attempts to overcome his predicament of being unprofessional by trying to prove that Emily planned to kill her husband by exploiting the mental health system to avoid litigation. In retrospect, Emily could have had a genius plan for getting away with murder but the scenes showing Dr. Jonathan's turn around from a helper to an investigative accuser shows that not all people we rely on are reliable. Arguably, his career was at risk, but this blog isn't about being lost in a storyline, rather it uncovers hidden meanings in scenes, even a poster in a movie can provide insights for humanity (See Honey Don't). Have you ever had someone promise to do something, even a simple chore like taking out the garbage, but they neglect it till you do it yourself? Yeah, don't rely on the unreliable. Don't build castles in the air based on support from people. We have identified the problem of fake friends in several reviews on this blog. Friends who come to drain you with the pretense of helping out (The friendly enemy or pretended helper). Dr. Jonathan does ensure to not repeat his professional mistakes or cloud his judgements in these closing scenes, as he hands Emily to the cops even after she had cooperated with him.
- Exploiting the System
Emily and Dr Victoria (Catherine Zeta-Jones) are finally revealed as sexual partners who hatch an ingenious plan to murder Martin by exploiting the mental health system. Exploiting the system is a common aspect of our world. Even in the news we are sometimes disappointed at politics or the sentencing of criminals who we expect to get a longer sentence but are released on a legal flaw. Our world is imbalanced, and the more we linger on it, the more imbalanced it would become. It is a hazard for both the favored and the disadvantaged because we are like a ship, just like the Titanic, the imbalance would tilt one side up and both sides would ultimately go down. Let us work on correcting the cheatings, the enslavement, entrapment, and deprivation of the angelics as we hope for a better society.
This was a great movie to watch and I hope you enjoy watching it too. Thank you for taking time out with us and leave your comments in the sections below.
Find streaming links to the movie Side Effects on Tubi ( https://tubitv.com/movies/100044102/side-effects ) and IMDb ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2053463/ ).
You can also find the eBook download for 'Happy For No Reason' on Amazon ( https://www.amazon.ca/Happy-No-Reason-Steps-Inside/dp/1416547738 )
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