One of cinema’s finest talents takes a bow

With his upcoming television project, “Behind the Candelabra” and current release, “Side Effects,” audiences are receiving their final glimpses into the filmography of Steven Soderbergh.

Originally cited by Roger Ebert as “the poster boy of the Sundance generation,” he has remained one of cinema’s most interesting figures within current Hollywood, which makes his impending retirement all the more curious.

Born on January 14th, 1963, Soderbergh began his directorial career with the acclaimed “Sex, Lies, and Videotape,” which made critics cite him as a new voice in independent cinema. Yet with the box-office failure of his follow-up, “Kafka,” he found himself entering into a slump, during which his output remained consistent with no notable hits.

The slump itself was broken with the success of “Out Of Sight” in 1998 and the Oscar winning “Erin Brockovich” and “Traffic” two years later.

With several major hits, Soderbergh embarked on a cinematic renaissance with several critical and financial hits over the following nine years. Not forgetting his independent roots, he would return to such projects throughout this period with “The Girlfriend Experience” and to a smaller extent, last year’s “Magic Mike.”

In early 2012, he announced his retirement in 2013 after completing his next two projects. It is during this time that Soderbergh plans to concentrate on his painting rather than filmmaking.

While his medium may be changing, perhaps he can create master works of art, as he has in film.

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