A Beautifully Shot Film With A Harrowing Subject Matter

Rating: 9/10 (22 July 2019)

I had already seen - and loved - Aronofsky's debut film PI (1998), and so I went into this with high expectations. The film managed to exceed them by far; it's a masterpiece that manages that rare feat where the impact of the dead serious subject matter (substance abuse) is enhanced, not subverted, by the director's choice to offer a truly cinematic, stylish and visually exciting experience. A sad, beautiful work of art that features a career-best performance by Ellen Burstyn; an uncompromising - and often shockingly graphic - depiction of a downwards spiral that leaves no viewer unaffected.