Real drama.

Rating: 9/10 (14 March 2012)

It's unbelievable that this movie was released in 2000 and very few people have seen it more than a decade later. I just discovered it in 2012 but after 12 years it's still like nothing else. It's been compared to other so-called drug movies like Trainspotting, which makes some sense but ultimately is unfair. Compared to this, Trainspotting is a comedy. This movie is a drama in every way.
I won't go into the plot because I don't wan't to spoil anything and let's face it, reading about it 12 years later? You know what it's about. What I will say is that this movie is not for everyone and that it bends the rules of what we can call entertainment. It's not fun or entertaining like most movies or even documentaries are but it's interesting nonetheless. A lot of negative criticism towards this movie seems to come from the fact that a lot of people actually will not want to see it. Not because it's bad but because it's probably too realistic to be comfortable.
So it's good and not mainstream (yet). Looks like we've got a cult classic, no? Well, yes and no. Yes because it should be considered a classic and no because it's not glamorizing anything. Trainspotting, for all its intents and purposes, is great and gritty but also funny as hell. This movie isn't. It starts pretty boring like most movies and ends with drama but nothing is funny, save one or two lines of text. That leaves little to glamorize and limits its cult appeal in a lot of circles.
What this movie does do, and what is sets apart from most movies, is simplicity. It shows four people and their drug addictions. You don't get to know and love them before they get addicted and you don't get to know every detail about why they do what they do. They're pretty normal people with normal dreams and lives. The movie explains more details about some characters than others but you don't get to know a lot about them and you don't need to. You'll see their lives fall apart and you'll feel bad for them. Not because you love them but because of the way things are shown.
And that's the beauty of this movie. Even though most of the actual drug intake isn't shown, the effects become clearer by the minute. All of the results of the character's actions are shown, and they're not pretty. Sex, violence, family issues and racism are themes that are all there and don't leave much to the imagination. There are a lot of subtle moral issues as well, which gives the movie even more depth.
The only complaint I have about this movie is about one scene. You'll have to make it through but it's absolutely out of place. Some of the characters experience psychoses during the movie. Not much of a problem except that one of them looks like it's taken straight out of an 80's horror movie. You can place it into context but it's a bit too much. Thankfully the best part is still to come so you'll be able to overlook it but it's a shame no less on such a masterpiece.
See it with an open mind and you'll love it if it's your thing.