Graphic and Powerful

Rating: 9/10 (25 March 2003)

This powerful film follows the intertwined lives of four people as they descend a downward spiral caused by drug addiction. We see the three young characters Harry, Tyrone, and Marion innocently begin to sell drugs to satiate their ever growing habits. We see the human sides of them, the potential they hold, and their love for others slowly get destroyed as the drugs take control of their lives. We also witness Harry's lonely mother, Sara, descend into a similar hopeless state, but in her case the drugs are legal, and prescribed to her by a doctor. When she is prescribed her weight loss pills, the doctor does not even look at her. A chilling parallel is drawn; her doctor and the street dealers are shown to have the same total disregard for the lives of their buyers. For a time everyone's life is good, everyone has money, and Harry's mother loses weight and feels accepted by her friends. But it doesn't last, and one by one they descend into a state of hopeless desperation. It is all very graphic, and it left me with a profound feeling towards the horrible effects of addictive drugs. All of the actors do a spectacular job portraying their characters, and I really felt for them. This film should be shown to anyone who is having thoughts about experimenting with drugs. It is shocking and brutal, but it has to be in order to truly reflect the world it portrays.