mind blowing film, speeding towards a powerfully horrible climax

Rating: Null/10 (25 February 2001)

When the film started I was quite easily overtaken by it, the melodic music by the Kronos Quartet backed up by a trip hop kinda beat effectively adding to this. I loved the way the camera and lightning backed up the mood of the moment, or rather the season, as the film is divided in the four seasons. These set the mood and atmospheres accordingly. This is especially clear (would be the right word to use here!) in the Spring and Summer. The lights outside are blinding, so blinding this should either be considered as surreal or as being an omen, if you will, of the things to come. Don't be tempted by the brightness! The film deals with four personalities and the ways they get dragged in a world of addiction. In case of the three young people it's dope, in case of the mother, beautifully and hauntingly acted, by drugs as well, but prescribed drugs, for her to loose weight, not less dangerous. The fact that both these narcotics have been set as equally seductive and damaging was to me a great element of the film. Films where drugs kill kids have been made plenty, we have been warned sufficiently I would say. But placing kids and dope on the same line as people being on medication or, as in this film, diet pills(aka speed) adds a new and powerful dimension. At the same time this was the best part in the film for me. The way this woman who so desperately wants to be young and beautiful again is pain steaking. It also reminds a girl nowadays to try to not be dependent too much, either on beauty or on a husband that will provide for you, till he's dead (and you're not!). The camera work here is excellent, as she becomes more and more paranoid, the camera moves with this, and makes things equally paranoid and shaky for the viewer. The path the kids go in the film starts off as being almost too perfect, to me anyway. The film appeared as an Mtv video almost and seems to bring a message of "dope is cool", with these hip kids shooting up while mixing records on their deks. At first this kind of annoyed me, not cuz I believe drugs are all that bad and shouldn't be portrayed as giving satisfaction, but just cuz it seemed too easy to watch these perfectly sedated creatures. Then, when the mood of the film became more desperate and grim it seemed like the supposedly ideal state of the beginning was contrasting the rest perfectly. Maybe this great beginning was only illustrating the dream and illusion the kids were living in, not only fooling the viewer, but also themselves. On the other hand, things could have been close to perfect all the time, had they been more responsible. Exactly how the kids get drawn in a downward spiral so fast was not as convincing to me as the way the woman gets in deeper and deeper. She is haunted by her memories of the past and idealizes her forgone beauty and the way she used to look in her red dress, how she could charm all those around her, the only way she thinks to achieve this again is to fit into that dress and appear on television. She wants her moment of fame, tragically portraying the average American and the dominating role TV has taken in their lives. TV here seems almost like a metaphor for the misleading lures modern capitalist life has brought us, and that are slowly consuming us instead of us consuming them and growing. The film moves to a terrible climax, which was done very well and extremely effective. Even those not easily shocked will not find it easy to stay unaffected, getting drawn in the misery and cruelty of the world to those who have lost control. The scenes follow each other up in rapid speed, everything mixed in a whirlwind of deceit, frustration, despair and inevitability.