Beautiful and Depressing

Rating: 10/10 (9 December 2004)

I had only a vague idea of what this movie was about. I heard it was good and so DVR'd it off IFC. I was not in any way prepared for what I was to see. From the opening scene to the end the movie is a tour de force. Where to begin? First,the film has incredible energy. Given the subject matter, i.e. the story of 4 characters lives bottoming out, and the themes of addiction, depression and emptiness the movie could easily have been turgid, didactic and boring. Instead, what you get is a very stylized, yet moving and dare I say profound depiction of what life can do to people.
The actors all gave amazing performances.
The movie is filled with powerful images and gradually builds momentum to its crushing ending. No tidy little salvation here. Toward the end, there is a scene with Jennifer Connely's character lying in a fetal position, clutching a bag of drugs she received for sexually degrading herself, with this serene, sad smile on her face, that is as haunting as anything you'll see on film. The soundtrack is extraordinary too.