Relentless, and brutal.

Rating: 8/10 (22 January 2007)

Talk about one of the most relentless films I have ever seen. There are few films I will almost turn off because they are brutally relentless, but not in anyway form or shape a terrible film. This takes the cake.
The film focuses on a family of two. A mother living with seeming no purpose at home, and a drug addicted son. Ellen Burstyn plays the mother, Sara Goldfarb, who is addicted to a TV Show which seems to be about losing weight. Her dream is to be a contestant on the show and when she receives a call that she is to appear on the show she becomes obsessed with being able to lose enough weight in order to fit into a red dress which she envisions wearing on the show. At first she tries a diet which becomes too painful. Then she here's about an easy way, pills. She goes to the doctor, who is tell-tale disinterested, and begins to lose weight as well as her mind.
Meanwhile her son, played by Jared Leto, Harry Goldfarb, is becoming more and more sucked into an impossible to break addiction to drugs. Along with him in his addiction is his friend Tyrone C. Love, played by Marlon Wayans, and his girlfriend, the ever beautiful Jennifer Connelly. Their story parallels everyone else's as they are headed in one direction with no hope of breaking their path or even slowing.
The film is painful, expertly told and no holds bar. Darren Aronofsky, the director, tells this powerful and depressing story with an intimacy that is disturbing. Did I enjoy this film? Not at all, but that doesn't diminish the power of this film. I am completely torn. I can't find flaws in the film itself other than my reaction viewing it. A part of me wants to mark this film as terrible and another part a masterpiece. My grade reflects this.