The most disturbing and depressing movie I've ever seen.

Rating: 9/10 (8 August 2014)

FYI: I watched the original, NC-17 version.
There's no doubt this movie has been reviewed by thousands of other people here on IMDb so it seems rather pointless to add another but I still feel inclined to share my thoughts and feelings of this fantastic movie.
I didn't know what to expect going in. I hardly had a clue what it really was about other than that it involved drugs and, one of my favorite actors, Jared Leto. While it is quite possibly the hardest movie I've watched, it is also one of the best directed, acted, and edited.
The first half of the movie is more interesting than anything else. The characters and their motivations are unfolded slowly and the quick and clean editing and cinematography keeps the audience completely engaged. There are some really neat camera tricks that are actually quite creative and bring the character's perspectives closer to you.
The second half of the movie is where things start to unravel more quickly and violently. Characters become more desperate and are willing to go to any lengths to get what they want, and, in effect, the on screen images slowly become more disturbing and gut-wrenching to watch. There were multiple times when I was unknowingly squirming in my chair in disgust at the horrors on screen.
The real reasons these images are so intensely horrifying are because of the motivations the characters have. It all comes down to the basic idea of what is happening. The thematic elements are just as frightening as the visual elements. Maybe not everyone will be affected in such an intense way; it depends on how much you can stomach.
But maybe perhaps the reason both the thematic and the visual elements worked so blissfully together was because of the incredible acting from the entire cast. Ellen Burstyn delivers a phenomenal performance as the challenged mother of Harry (Leto) and depicts insanity that is so believable you forget she's acting. She totally deserved her Oscar nomination. Jared Leto was his usual self, putting everything he had into the performance and pouring emotion onto the screen everywhere. Jennifer Connelly also gives an excellent performance as Harry's psychologically tortured love interest. Again, it was very easy to forget that you were watching actors and actresses act and think you're actually seeing these deeply troubled people through the eyes of a camera.
Then, of course, there's the soundtrack. Oh, boy...has it become popular fourteen years later. It's an odd soundtrack for this type of movie. It's more "epic" sounding and inspiring if heard by itself but when it's put into the movie it becomes something else entirely. it's eerie, it's scary, and most of all, it adds to the intensity of what's happening on screen in a strange but subtle way. Clint Mansell did an excellent job making this possible.
I really never thought a movie about drugs could possibly be so fascinating and interesting. Darren Aronofsky directs in such a way that everything is personal between the characters and the audience. You care for these people; you feel like you know them. You want them to overcome their troubles. The camera merely serves as a window into their world. You feel a part of it all.
Would I recommend this movie? Well, it would depend on the person. There haven't been many movies that have moved me in a way this one did. It wasn't the typical emotional experience but rather a truly gut-wrenching one. There is no hope, no savior, no happiness. By the time the credits roll you should feel dead inside. This is one of those movies that everyone should watch at some point during their lives, preferably when they're younger. But for that very reason, it doesn't make it a film for everyone.