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Characters & Themes

The Other Side (2016) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language
2016 · 92 min · English
JustWatch #23,141 10
Directed by
Roberto Minervini

Within a marginalized community, individuals face systemic neglect and diminishing civil rights. The narrative explores the lives of diverse characters including traumatized veterans, defiant young people, those battling addiction and seeking connection, hardened mercenaries, women navigating difficult circumstances, and elderly individuals holding onto hope. Their stories intertwine, revealing the struggles and resilience of those living on the fringes of society.

On this page (8)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Characters explained (3)
  3. 3 Where & when it takes place
  4. 4 Themes & meaning (3)
  5. 5 Character & meaning questions
  6. 6 Movie threads
  7. 7 Movies like The Other Side
  8. 8 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch The Other Side (2016)

Where can you watch The Other Side? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on ALLBLK, Philo and Fawesome: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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3 main characters · contains spoilers

The Other Side Characters Explained: Who Is Who

The main characters of The Other Side (2016), heroes and villains: what drives them, how they change over the course of the story and what each of them reveals about the film's bigger ideas.

  • Maria (Sarah Wayne Callies)

    Maria is a deeply tormented mother struggling with the loss of her son. Her profound grief manifests in increasingly irrational behavior, leading her to make desperate choices that endanger her family. She embodies the complexities of grief, love, and the haunting desire to reconnect with a lost loved one.

    • 👩‍👧‍👦 Motherhood
    • 💔 Grief
    • ⚰️ Loss
  • Michael (Jeremy Sisto)

    Michael is Maria's husband, who attempts to provide strength and support during their family's darkest moments. He grapples with his wife's unraveling sanity and the strain it places on their marriage. His understanding of grief is contrasted with Maria's more chaotic responses, highlighting the different ways people cope with loss.

    • 👨‍👧‍👦 Family
    • 🧠 Mental Health
    • 💔 Grief
  • Lucy (Sofia Rosinsky)

    Lucy is the couple's surviving daughter who, innocent and young, becomes an unwitting pawn in the supernatural events unleashed by her mother’s attempts to contact her deceased brother. Her perspective on family dynamics and the alterations brought by Oliver’s spirit add complexity to the narrative.

    • 👧 Sister
    • 🧸 Innocence
    • 👻 Haunting

Last updated: December 24, 2024 at 10:02

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Setting

Where and When Does The Other Side Take Place?

The setting of The Other Side (2016): the year and time period, the places and locations, and how they shape the characters, the mood and the tension of the story.

Time period

The film unfolds in contemporary times, showcased through the family dynamics and urban life depicted in Mumbai. Themes of loss and grief intertwine with mystical and supernatural events, creating a timeless atmosphere that transcends a specific era.

Location

Mumbai, India, an abandoned temple, a village

The movie is set primarily in Mumbai, India, a vibrant city known for its bustling markets, rich culture, and diverse cuisine. An abandoned temple becomes a significant location within the story, believed to be a place where the veil between the living and the dead is thin. A nearby village provides isolation and adds an element of mystique to the setting.

  • 🌆 City
  • 🏯 Temple
  • 🏡 Village

Last updated: December 24, 2024 at 10:02

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3 major themes

The Other Side Meaning: Themes & Message Explained

What is The Other Side (2016) really about? The emotional, social and philosophical themes the film keeps returning to, its symbolism and the message beneath the surface.

  • Grief

    Grief is a central theme of the film, illustrating the tumultuous journey of a mother who struggles with the death of her son. Maria's emotional turmoil drives her to seek an impossible reunion, demonstrating how the burden of loss can lead one to desperate measures. The portrayal of grief challenges the boundaries between love and despair.

  • Supernatural

    The supernatural theme is intricately woven into the narrative, highlighting the consequences of attempting to communicate with the dead. By exploring the thin line between life and the afterlife, the film delves into the dark realms of spirits and the curses they bring. The blending of reality with the supernatural creates an unsettling atmosphere throughout.

  • Consequences

    The theme of consequences runs throughout the film, examining the repercussions of Maria's choices and her desire to reconnect with her deceased son. As her actions disrupt the natural order, the story reveals how ignoring boundaries can lead to tragedy and chaos, ultimately affecting her family in profound and terrifying ways.

Last updated: December 24, 2024 at 10:02

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Character & theme questions

The Other Side Characters & Meaning: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask about The Other Side (2016): who the characters really are, their relationships, what the symbols mean, where it takes place and what the movie is really about. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Where is The Other Side set?

The movie is primarily set in Mumbai, India, a vibrant city known for its bustling markets, rich culture, and diverse cuisine. Key locations include an abandoned temple and a nearby village, which add isolation and mystique to the story.

  • mumbai
  • india
  • setting
  • abandoned temple
  • village
  • locations
Q2

What is the significance of the abandoned temple in the film?

The abandoned temple is believed to be a place where the veil between the living and the dead is thin. This location becomes central to the story's supernatural elements, serving as the site where attempts to communicate with the deceased take place.

  • abandoned temple
  • veil between living and dead
  • supernatural
  • spirit communication
Q3

When does The Other Side take place?

The film unfolds in contemporary times, depicted through the family dynamics and urban life in Mumbai. However, themes of loss and grief combined with mystical events create a timeless atmosphere that transcends any specific era.

  • contemporary
  • mumbai
  • modern era
  • timeless
  • grief themes
Q4

What is the main theme of grief in the movie?

Grief is a central theme following Maria, a mother struggling with the death of her son. Her emotional turmoil drives her to seek an impossible reunion, showing how the burden of loss can lead to desperate measures and blurred boundaries between love and despair.

  • grief
  • maria
  • loss
  • mother
  • death of son
  • despair
Q5

What does the supernatural theme explore?

The supernatural theme explores the consequences of attempting to communicate with the dead. The film examines the thin line between life and the afterlife, delving into dark realms of spirits and curses. The blending of reality with the supernatural creates an unsettling atmosphere throughout.

  • supernatural
  • spirits
  • afterlife
  • curses
  • communication with dead
Q6

What is the theme of consequences about in the film?

The theme of consequences examines the repercussions of Maria's choices when she tries to reconnect with her deceased son. By disrupting the natural order, her actions lead to tragedy and chaos that profoundly affect her family, demonstrating how ignoring boundaries can have devastating results.

  • consequences
  • maria choices
  • disruption natural order
  • family tragedy
Q7

Who is Maria in The Other Side?

Maria is a deeply tormented mother played by Sarah Wayne Callies, struggling with the loss of her son. Her profound grief leads to increasingly irrational behavior and desperate choices that endanger her family, embodying the complexities of grief, love, and the haunting desire to reconnect with a lost loved one.

  • maria
  • sarah wayne callies
  • mother
  • grief
  • loss of son
Q8

Who is Michael in the movie?

Michael is Maria's husband, played by Jeremy Sisto, who attempts to provide strength and support during his family's darkest moments. He grapples with his wife's unraveling sanity and the strain it places on their marriage, offering a contrasting perspective on coping with loss.

  • michael
  • jeremy sisto
  • husband
  • maria husband
  • grief coping
Q9

Who is Lucy in The Other Side?

Lucy is the couple's surviving daughter, portrayed by Sofia Rosinsky. As an innocent young girl, she becomes an unwitting pawn in the supernatural events unleashed by her mother's attempts to contact her deceased brother. Her perspective adds complexity to the family dynamics and the alterations brought by her brother's spirit.

  • lucy
  • sofia rosinsky
  • daughter
  • surviving child
  • innocent pawn
Q10

What is the emotional tone of the film?

The film has a predominantly dark tone, balancing serious themes of trauma and loss with genuine horror elements. The intensity remains consistently high due to its unflinching focus on profound grief and relentless supernatural horror, creating a bleak emotional landscape.

  • dark tone
  • trauma
  • loss
  • horror
  • intense emotional landscape

Movie threads

More Movies Like The Other Side, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes The Other Side tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Documentaries of marginalization like The Other Side

Interwoven narratives revealing the human cost of living on society's margins. Explore movies like The Other Side that depict the harsh realities of marginalized communities. These powerful documentaries and dramas use interwoven narratives to show the resilience and despair of individuals facing systemic failures, perfect for viewers who appreciate socially conscious and emotionally heavy storytelling.

  • oppressive
  • grief-stricken
  • haunting
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • social realism
  • Tone: dark, bleak, melancholic
  • Pacing: variable, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Films in this thread typically employ an ensemble cast or multiple interwoven storylines to paint a broad portrait of a community in crisis. The narrative structure often avoids a single protagonist, instead building a collective sense of struggle against a backdrop of social and economic decay, leading to a profound exploration of human resilience.

Why they belong together: These movies are grouped by their shared focus on societal malaise and the collective experience of people on the fringes. They create a similar immersive, often oppressive mood through their documentary-like realism, heavy emotional weight, and unflinching look at difficult themes.

Movies about shared trauma like The Other Side

Stories where characters are bound together by profound loss and psychological anguish. If you were moved by the collective grief in The Other Side, discover other films that explore groups of characters bound by shared trauma. These emotionally heavy dramas and horror-tinged stories examine how profound loss and psychological anguish connect people, often leading to bleak but deeply resonant conclusions.

  • grief-stricken
  • psychological trauma
  • suspenseful
  • haunting
  • nightmarish
  • mental anguish
  • Tone: dark, tense, melancholic
  • Pacing: variable, with emotional peaks
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern often begins with a defining tragic event that impacts multiple characters. The story then follows the divergent but interconnected ways each person processes their grief, guilt, or fear. The plot is less about solving a mystery and more about the emotional fallout and the strained bonds between those who suffered together.

Why they belong together: This thread connects films through their intense focus on the psychology of shared suffering. They share a dark tone, high emotional weight, and a mood that is consistently tense, melancholic, and suspenseful, as characters navigate a world colored by a common, unshakeable pain.

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Movies Like The Other Side

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Every angle

The Other Side (2016) Explained: Plot, Ending, Timeline & Characters

Everything about The Other Side in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning, the ending explained and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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