A mother and her son both getting addicted to their dreams in different ways.

Rating: 9/10 (7 December 2016)

Ellen Burstyn (84 today) was nominated for an Oscar in this shocking social drama of how dreams can take control of you by your own addictive delusions. Jared Leto plays her son and Jennifer Connelly his girlfriend with equal brilliance in this impressively well made film of stunning expressionism enhancing the impact of the brutal realism. The music adds to it, but it's the visualization of the drama, the dreams, the illusions and the hopelessness of the incompatibility of reality with your dreams that creates the lasting impression, finally suggesting that in spite of all the dreams will always get the better of you as after all a better reality than reality. A shockingly thought-provoking film with stunning performances. Ellen Burstyn is always good, this is no more than a typical performance of hers, but none could have made it better or more convincingly true.