a heartbreaking nightmare

Rating: 9/10 (28 August 2002)

What this movie has to say about drug addiction may not be original, but it more than makes up for that with the sheer vividness and emotional force with which it delivers its message.
Among other achievements, Aronofsky does a great job of reimagining daytime TV as hell (though admittedly it's not much of a stretch) and fictional TV personality Tappy Tibbons as the prince of darkness. He is aided and abetted in the realization of his vision by cinematographer Matthew Libatique. The soundtrack by Clint Mansell is also extraordinary.
The key to the film's impact is that it gets you to care about its characters before it puts them through hell. Ellen Burstyn totally disappears into her role; she was robbed of an Oscar for her fearlessly real performance, the best one by any actor in 2000. Just watch her do her speech to her son mid-way through about the things that give meaning to her life, and try to prevent your heart from breaking. A wrenching and haunting nightmare.