Divisive

Rating: 10/10 (12 June 2009)

I have not read the novel upon that this is based upon. This has gotten very mixed reactions... is it almost criminally engaging and effective, or is it MTV-type manipulative drivel? I have to admit, I can't ignore the craftsmanship of this movie, so if you must place me in a booth, I'd be in the former of those two. The stylization is incredible and fitting. Editing and cinematography are accused of being gimmicky, with jump-cuts and this utilizing quite a few different angles and the Snorricam, but I disagree... they're part of Aronofsky's cinematic language. Whether he is a genius or a madman is open to debate. This is not easy to watch. It is rather cruel to the audience, and entirely uncompromising. It deals with addiction, in general, not only to drugs. The writing is impeccable, script, plot and dialog alike. All the characters are credible. The acting is amazing, yes, including Marlon Wayans, and Burstyn is, simply put, excellent, and utterly devastating in her performance. This has masterful music, the score is perfect and beautifully done. The one complaint that I particularly have is that, for three of the four leads, there is little to no explanation in this for how they came to use narcotics. I can imagine many viewers being deeply emotionally affected by this. The language is strong as it gets, and plentiful. While there is not a lot of violence in this, it's filled with disturbing content. There is also graphic sexuality. This is not something to watch if you aren't already relatively hardened. The DVD comes with trailers and TV spots, two of each, deleted scenes with the option of hearing Darren's thoughts on them, during them, a couple of featurettes, and lastly, a commentary track with the director, and one with Matthew Libatique. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys the medium, provided they feel they have the nerves for it. 10/10