Drugs are bad? Tell me more...

Rating: 6/10 (8 November 2000)

Darren Aronofsky deserves kudos for his ability to create such a jolting movie, and Ellen Burstyn has given the year's most heartbreaking performance. But I have never, ever had a harder time watching a film, and have never felt so bombarded by such disturbing images in my life. After I left the theatre, I felt like I had been through a war, and I was at a loss to figure out what I was supposed to get out of it other than, "Drugs are bad." That's something most of us realize, and for those that don't, I don't think Aronofsky's sledgehammer is going to do the trick. Aronofsky has one of the bleakest visions of any director working today, and if his next project is indeed Batman, I'm worried. He's loaded with talent, but I would like to see him inject a dose of humanity for the first time into his next film.