Year 5 Day 68

movie: Mary Reilly
starring:Julia Roberts, John Malkovich
genre:Thriller
year:1996
format: Hollywood Suites Channel

plot: A maid in the household of Dr. Jekyll witnesses the odd behavouir of her employer, while suspecting his new assistant Mr. Hyde is in fact a murderer.

Based on the novel of the same name

You're dealing with split personality, one that is a scientist, while the other is little more then a civilized beast. Or so we're led to believe.  And on the surface, that's what you have. But, this version of the Jekyll and Hyde story has more to do with  the romance between the two leads, and what she's willing to put up with from him. Specially once she realizes that her dear Jekyll is in reality, her despised Hyde.

When the doctor takes his potion, which you're never told for certain he created himself, as there is a hint later on in the film that suggests it's been mixed by a chemist/perfumer for him; he physically grows healthier and younger. But, the side effect of that is that he's a psychopath.  You quickly learn that both personalities are more then aware of each other, leading to the idea that it was never accidental or even therefore, unsought. The doctor, at one point confesses he's always had this urge within him to kill, and had hoped to more then repress it.
Mary tells the doctor about her childhood abuse, and because of that, the Hyde personality has this information too, which at times he uses. You're never completely sure if he's torturing her on purpose with the knowledge, or if he's so unconnected to others, that he emotionally hurts her unwillingly?

From the romance point, you could argue that because the lead female character hasn't dealt with her past, she's accepted the new abusive relationship, because she does in the end allow herself to have an attraction to the Hyde personality, even after learning he's a serial killer.

On the supernatural end of it, you could look at this as a straight up doppelganger story.

what did I learn? There is two sides to every story