One of the scariest movies ever

Rating: 8/10 (21 January 2006)

I saw a screening of this film before it opened, to prepare for an interview with Ellen Burstyn. Nothing I had heard about it prepared me for what I saw. In fact, when the lights came up, a man sitting next to me (with a thick French accent) said 'Why would anyone make a film like this?' Although the characters in the film aren't particularly likable, it's hard not to feel for them as drugs (street and prescription) take over their lives, and plunge each of them into their own private hell. The split-screen gimmicks and altered film speeds work perfectly here --all contributing to the visual assault that, by film's end, leaves you feeling battered and crushed. The plot is minimal, but the performances are wrenching and (pardon the cliché) not for the squeamish. Watching Burstyn's descent is terrifying, something akin to seeing your favorite aunt being tortured, and wishing you could reach into the screen and help her. Wayans is amazing, a total surprise. And Leto and Connolly are also first-rate. If this flick doesn't leave you frightened and shaken, nothing will.