Wow - some SPOILERS

Rating: 10/10 (9 December 2000)

SOME SPOILERS
Before you categorize me in some sort of group of viewers, let me say that I am trying to stay as objective as I can. I am a very critical person, and I analyze everything I see in a film. It being filmed mainly around the neighborhood I grew up in, and having visited Sara's apartment complex numerous times as a child (coincidentally -to visit my own grandmother), I had a good time seeing "home" again. Possibly that's why it hit me so hard, because it literally was "so close to home."
The fates of the individual characters are inevitable, the title is clearly a spoiler. You know what will happen, and can deduce the general plot. Given that, it's difficult to point to something specific that makes this movie great, and allows the viewer to experience such shock. We all know that Heroin is bad, but this movie takes addiction to another level. I don't mean to spew cliches, but I sat in my seat shivering as the movie progressed. I am not a film student, nor am I film critic, but I would say that any movie that brings out such emotion is doing something right. I am sure it is difficult to portray such ugliness so beautifully, and so effectively.
It is 3:00 am, and I am still up having seen this movie just 4 hours before. I can't seem to find an adequate flow for my user comment, so I will jump in on another tangent. Each of the characters paths taken individually do not work. We simply wouldn't believe the path Sara takes. In and of itself, it's probably too improbable. Hope seems to be portrayed as a drug, and that aspect of her story I buy. However, her drug addiction came out of no where, and it didn't really seem to flow well with the story. I never did understand the motives behind the diet doctors, though Sara's motives were clear. Frankly, I wouldn't care about Harry's faith. It seems that justice is served (in a rather macabre way). But I think that's precisely where this movie shines. We aren't asked to justify or forgive anything any of the characters do. We simply take a ride with them, and see the results. To that extent, this isn't a movie with entertainment value per se, but rather it is more like a roller coaster ride -an experience. I felt like I was following each character into their own personal abyss, taking each step with them, and so, feeling each pitfall along the way. Their pain became my pain, and I truly established a point of connection with at least some aspect of each character. We wouldn't have nearly as much sympathy for Marion if we saw just her story. She really is just a brat, with a rich daddy. Obviously she makes a few mistakes (an understatement perhaps?), but there seems to be some sort of missing link. What are her motives? It seems that she is on easy street, why would she follow Harry so blindly? Why IS she so drawn to Harry? Tyrone's character was probably the most shallow of all. I never understood any of his motives, and didn't really see why he was so distraught. There seemed to be some attempt to include his mother into the plot, but I didn't think it was too effective. Nonetheless, he keeps the story flowing well, providing us possibly with a more objective perspective of the other 3 characters. Mesh the 4 together,
and you get a masterpiece of emotion.
I felt Sara's path was the most excruciating. She was just an innocent and sweet old lady, who was driven to drugs by a false sense of hope. Tyrone's faith is fairly straight forward. Yet another dream destroyed. Harry and Marion had the most obviously painful faiths. Ultimately, their separation is what strikes a chord. Marion had everything when she had love, and now all hope is lost, not even her love for Harry remains.

Fitting, how there is no spring.