A disturbing and striking movie about addiction, not just for drugs, but food as well.

Rating: Null/10 (29 July 2011)

(unrated version)
We meet Harry, a young and ambitious guy, who keeps on stealing and pawning his mother's television set to earn some quick cash. With that cash he and his buddy Tyrone score some drugs. And pretty soon also his love interest, the beautiful Marion, gets involved.
On the other hand Harold's mother, Sara Goldfarb, is hooked to her television and keeps rebuying it back from the pawn shop. In fact, she's so obsessed with the television, she would do anything to appear on stage in her beautiful red dress. But in order to fit her dress, she's to lose a lot of weight. On the advice of her 'friends' she tries a diet first, but pretty soon she turns to colorful pills, prescribed by a doctor. Not only does she lose weight, but also her mind. Not only because of the pills, but first and foremost because of the sugar withdrawal. And little by little we witness her downfall into isolation and hallucinations.
Aronofsky uses multiple techniques very effectively. Using close-ups in fast-motion he shows images of drugs, be it pills, coke or heroin. Then the way it's administered, be it swallowing, sniffing or injecting. And finally the dilatation of the user's pupils. It's all done very fast and loud, just like a quick fix. Furthermore he uses split-screen and headshots to really put the focus on the characters and their expressions. And as if that's not enough, some top-down views seal the deal.
Another special treat is the score by Clint Mansell. His soundtrack is just unforgettable. It gives chills down your spine every time you hear it. And since it's been used many times in different movie trailers, commercials etc, you probably have heard it a lot.
The performances of the actors are great as well. Not once does it feel like acting, it seems as if they've been using drugs for real. And as the story unfolds, their desperate destinations come closer inevitably. As a viewer you'll be touched and have a hard time not feeling sorry for them.
Rating: R/16