hmm.. (is this a spoiler?)

Rating: Null/10 (26 July 2004)

I was really stunned by this film. It forced me to consider my own behaviour and escalating (poly)drug use. As for realism, the scenes with Sara Goldfarb wandering swivel-eyed around her silent yet vividly-hued apartment in a creeping investigative paranoia will ring true to anyone who's used LSD or Psilocybin. I've never seen it portrayed so accurately on film.
The film explores - well, at least part of it does - the dividing line between 'drugs' and 'medicine', in that the characters feel a need for a kind of healing of their pain: Whether it be from heroin withdrawal, guilt over past actions or the loneliness of a solitary existence. The doctor prescribing the pills is also akin to a drug pusher (as distinct from 'dealer'): without even looking at the patient, he is essentially uncaring as to the consequences of his prescription.
The behaviour of Harry and Marion when they run out of heroin and have enough only for the night is also very accurate. Harry at first says they should wait and make it last, but Marion rationalizes her way around his logic in order to get a short-term fix. I've done this, although not with heroin, and seeing it on film makes for extremely uncomfortable viewing.
As an educational tool on the dangers of drugs this film is mixed. It's a good scare tactic for people who have never tried recreational drugs, but i'm not sure what if any difference this film would make to an addict who could/would rationalize, as Marion did, their way around its explicit message.