It will break your heart....

Rating: 10/10 (28 July 2005)

Wow. This movie totally blew me away. I have to say it has been one of the most brutal, shocking yet refreshing films I have ever viewed. The film partly revolves around the life of Sara Goldfarb, a TV junkie who loves chocolate, who lives alone in her apartment. We witness various events in her life, such as how her son Harry steals her television set from her to pawn it for drug money, how much she loves her T.V. shows (JUICE) and her sugary junk foods, and how she really is a vulnerable, depressed and lonely woman. After winning an opportunity to appear on a television show, she posts her application form and then chooses a stunning red dress which she wore to Harry's graduation as the outfit which she will wear on television. Being a little overweight, the dress does not quite fit, so, determined to be able to wear the dress in time for her T.V. appearance, Sara decides to go on a diet. An eggs and grapefruit diet. The experience is gruelling for her, and we see how over the weeks she struggles over the temptation to indulge in doughnuts and chocolates. However when Sara's refrigerator starts jumping around and scaring her to death, she decides to do something. She decides to go to a doctor and start taking diet pills. Four pills which will be her meals for the day. Taking them seems not so bad at first. But what we discover over the days and weeks is that these pills are bad drugs. Drugs that are slowly ruining her life. It starts to come to the point of terrifying, when her fridge becomes alive and even more crazy as she starts to hallucinate. So she goes to the doctor. But the doctor doesn't seem to be interested in these weird events in the slightest, and instructs her to continue taking them. Still waiting for a reply from the T.V. studio, Sara takes the train to the studio. This scene really captures how these pills have affected her. She has changed from a moderately happy woman with good health to an unhappy, unhealthy, untidy, unstable, lonely and depressed lady, who only wants to star on television. After the studio calls the hospital, Sara is taken into care and is forced to eat some proper food in order for her to regain health and proper weight. In the end the doctors decide to treat her with ETC. At the very end of the film we can see how much Sara has been affected. The story of Sara Goldafrb is an unsettling and heartbreaking one ... the simple idea of how these pills ... these drugs have made this poor, vulnerable old woman's life spiral downward, making her a shaky, nervous lady, obsessed with her T.V. appearance. I was so sad by the end, crying to myself as my sympathy and sorrow for the character poured out of my heart, as I realised how devastating and upsetting her life turned out, after all of the terrible events. I was amazed by the absolutely stunning performance by Ellen Burstyn. It was truly dazzling and totally believable. I was affected greatly by the acting and the character in both a good and bad way. The film revolves around Sara Goldfarb's son, best friend and girlfriend too - Harry, Tyrone and Marion - three characters who deal and do drugs. The film follows them, and what they do in order to get drugs - for example, taking a trip to the supermarket. Marion, Harry's girlfriend (played by the beautiful Jennifer Connelly) is a drug addict who sleeps with a couple of men to get money, but whose talent is sketching. When Harry decides to save up enough cash in order to buy a place so Marion can set up a store, it seems nothing will go wrong. But after Tyrone gets put in jail, Harry uses all the saved money to bail him out. When failing to find any drugs to buy, Harry and Tyrone go to California - or was that Florida (!) in order to buy. In the meanwhile we also see how Marion has degraded herself to stripping in front of crowds of men, using a dildo with another woman. It concludes with Harry being taken to hospital, after we see how injecting drugs has turned Harry's arm into a horrible sight... Tyrone is taken to jail and Marion loses all dignity. We witness the various drug-related outcomes in their lives. Marlon Wayans, Jared Leto and Jennifer Connelly ALL play amazingly well roles, with excellent, convincing performances. The stylish use of the split-screen technique, huge close-ups and exaggerated sound effects add to the glossiness and the soundtrack is haunting and unforgettable. I highly recommend this daring, brutal shock-fest for all of those with a strong stomach in search of a powerful and unnerving trip into the narcotics dependent darkness of modern America. A must-see ... cinematic history...