Coming to EIFF's 2011 'World Cinema' series are a number of 2011's most highly acclaimed thrillers. From Sweden, add MARIANNE to the very short list of great supernatural dramas that includes The Changeling and The Shining. Headlined by a truly outstanding performance by Thomas Hedengran, Marianne is a haunting drama about grief and guilt, and is an extraordinary directorial debut for writer/director Filip Tegstedt. Another Western Canada Premiere, THE SKIN I LIVE IN sees the return of Pedro Almodovar, back with his most audacious creation yet, and reuniting him with Antonio Banderas for the first time in more than 2 decades. This time around, Almodovar has crafted an utterly freaky (not to mention horrifying) tale of revenge that wowed audiences at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. And finally, ADVERSE EFFECTS ('Reacciones adversas'), is a slow-burning thriller from Mexico, with echoes of Taxi Driver, Memento, and a dash of Fight Club thrown in for good measure. A stunning feature debut for writer/director/editor David Michan, Adverse Effects is a Canadian Premiere.
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by Andrew Mack, August 23, 2011 “Adverse Reactions”, a new film from Mexico that is slightly reminiscent of Polanski’s “The Tenant”... The film is rife with imagery & dialogue that afterwards will have you thinking. The film can be dissected in various ways but I doubt that there will be a general consensus as to what’s real & what isn’t in the end. It’s the kind of movie that will create debate and that’s a great thing. It’s what’s necessary in a film like this for it to succeed. Director/Writer David Michan has crafted a delirious fever dream of a movie that will have people talking for a long time afterwards.
HorrorNews.Net by The Black Saint Samuel Douek has programmed the 2011 HMFF with films that confront modern social issues with a distinctly singular voice, such as David Michan’s desolate, surrealistic slice of existentialism, Reacciones Adversas. “These are films that are extremely independent, that would have had Mexican box office results that were very small in number,” he states. It’s these types of films that Douek believes signifies a strong Mexican film culture in the years ahead. “In the line-up that we are bringing this year, we have many directors who are doing works for the first time. There are many directors who are growing and becoming very well known. There are 80 films being made in Mexico every year, and that is how [filmmakers] train and become better. There is a lot of talent and a lot of stories to tell.”
Hola Mexico Film Festival: Samuel Douek Interview

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Terror psicológico en estado puro. Las reacciones adversas a las que se refiere el título no alude a las que el protagonista lee en las contraindicaciones de su medicación, sino al corolario de la agitada vida en las metrópolis modernas, violentas y competitivas. Daniel intenta suicidarse y le recetan unos antidepresivos que se supone son los que alterarán la mente del protagonista, sin embargo sólo serán el medio, la excusa perfecta para descargar años de sumisión frente a una sociedad abusiva que jamás tendrá lugar para él. Su perturbación es prexistente al tratamiento.

Por momentos onírica, siempre oscura, sabe tomarse los tiempos necesarios para edificar una atmósfera que pareciera tener influencias del surrealismo de Lynch, del cine coreano en su “fisicidad” y algunas pinceladas de Taxi Driver de Scorsese, principalmente en el final que convierte al protagonista en un héroe accidental, figura de una sociedad autodestructiva.