Brutal, sad and POWERFUL! BRILLIANT!

Rating: 10/10 (25 May 2001)

This film should be shown in every high school in America. Is it shocking? Is it brutal? Is it disturbing? Yes yes yes. But there is a powerful lesson to be learned here. Addiction is not a fun thing. The performance by Ellen Burstyn is so exhilirating. As the film begins she could be your aunt, grandmother or mother. That makes it even harder to witness her downfall. She was robbed of an Oscar (no offense, Julia). Her performance is honest, unflinching, sometimes painful to witness. WOW! The film shows us that addiction, no matter what it may be, is life altering. I walked away from the film feeling like I had just seen my family ravaged: the performances are that convincing. It is one of the must-see films of 2000.