'The Other Side' is a short film about Azadeh, a Hollywood psychic who sees people, by appointment, in her own cabinet. Telling her clients what they want to hear or what she feels they need to hear to overcome their problems, she runs a successful practice. That is the premise of this film, and what drives Azadeh in her day to day work.

 

What we see are sequences in which clients tell their grievances to Azadeh, each of them being more and more superficial. The psychic seems unfazed by everything she hears and tries her best to read their palms and concentrate on what she calls “her visions”. But everything takes a dramatic turn for the worse when an ex-client turns up, pointing a gun at the clairvoyant.

 

Marc, the disgruntled ex-customer, says Azadeh ruined his life by telling him he only has 6 months to live. He claims he does not care about money, but then goes right ahead and complains that he gave money away to charity. After his confrontation with Azadeh, Marc says he overreacted and we tend to agree with him. He seems to be well off, even after claiming his life was ruined.

 

However, despite this inconsistency, the movie is pretty funny and enjoyable. The fact that Azadeh is supposed to be a psychic but she did not foresee Marc’s unexpected visit is a bit ironic, as is the fact that, at first, she does not remember his story. Furthermore, what we felt was interesting is that Azadeh has a poster that reads “Life is what you make it.”, which should be inspiring for her clients, but is actually caustic since they live their life based on what a psychic tells them.

 

This movie is about making your own decisions and standing your ground in front of criticism. Its open ending also leaves the audience wishing for more, wanting to find out what Azadeh will do next. An enjoyable, easy to follow read!