Incredible Film

Rating: 10/10 (25 July 2003)

This is an amazing film. Darren Aronofsky uses intense editing and, with the aid of picture perfect lighting, and an even better score, and a brilliant story (Hubert Selby's original) creates a very dark film that will stick with you for a long time.
I watched this movie with a friend of mine, and didn't think too much of it as I slid the DVD into my DVD player. When the movie was over, I was a wreck. My friend and I went for a walk at about 2 a.m. talking about the movie and how Aronofsky portrays every demographic's consequences caused by drugs.
I will not get into specifics, because spoiling specifics will undermine the 'shock value' that is being presented in this movie. But basically it is about 4 very different (although very connected) people who are addicted to drugs, plain and simple.
The characters start at the top of the world (in a figurative sense), and slowly spiral downward until the movie climaxes with one of the most incredible and memorable montages of all-time. (winter)
It blends realistic dreams with nightmarishly twisted sequences (tappy tibbons) as the characters lose focus of what the 'dream' is. The catalyst of their doom is drugs (obviously). However, you realize as the movie comes to a close, that the real drug all along was futile hope.
Go see this if you want to be entertained. Go see this if you want to be educated. Go see this if you want to be emotionally affected.
10 out of 10