I have heard so many people talk about this movie and how they were deeply, I mean DEEPLY affected by its weirdness and depravity. So much that people wouldn’t even tell me what affected them, but that I had to see it to understand. All of these descriptions (or lack thereof) led me to believe that this was to be put on my “must see” list.
So, finally, I managed to catch this on IFC channel and set my DVR so I could watch it while (relatively) sober and paying attention.
Man, was that a big disappointment. I mean, I get the heroin use, the sex for drugs, the dope dealing and mom’s obsession leading to pharmaceutical drug abuse, but COME ON! There are many movies with more blatent story lines and scenes of badness out there. This movie just plain sucked, IMHO. I really don’t see why people think this is the paragon of grossness or abuse or whatever pissed folks off. I can get more weirdness from a Kubrick film than this piece of garbage. Nothing in this movie seriously tripped my “okay, that’s enough” alarm. Not even the silly camera shots.
I want those two hours and eighteen minutes (minus commercials) of my life back. I feel cheated. And I will no longer consider those who recommended this as a “must see” flick to be friends. (Which is easy for me, as I’ve recently moved.)
If you were only watching it for scenes of depravity well sorry your friends must be prudes.
The film is not realistic, many details are totally wrong, a lot of stuff is overblown but in general it is about addiction and loss of your dreams. If you let it work on a abstract level and don;t get annoyed that heroin doesn’t dilate your pupils it is ok.
It wasn’t that I was watching it for the shock factor - Hell, I’ve seen a lot worse. It’s just that those who recommended it said that they were a) disturbed by the movie, b) shocked at what they were allowed to show, or c) genuinely disgusted by the whole experience.
I thought it was a mildly interesting movie until the last bit where it turned into a cartoon. Towards the end, I thought that Jennifer Connelly might get hit on the head with an anvil or run over by a steamroller.
Count me among those that was incredibly disturbed by it and I am a recovered addict who has been in jail and, while never having had pay per view ass to ass sex have done my share of unsavory things to score. In other words, no prude('scuse the TMI. . . )
Anyway, I’m not sure I can put my finger on why it was so borderline traumatic to me. As others have said the portrayals are over the top. I think for me it was just so freaking depressing. I wouldn’t call it good if good means “a pleasure to watch”. I found it a masterpiece that I never ever want to watch again.
The climactic sequence is meant to be disturbing and succeeded for me largely through the editing and music.
The individual events depicted are not that disturbing in themselves (although that double-dildo looks HUGE) but the way they are put together, things are kind of spiraling out of control and it caused me a lot of unease as a viewer.
The movie really bothered me, to the point that even though it’s been many years since I’ve seen it, I don’t want to watch it again. Kinda like Hotel Rwanda in that regard. I think it rang true based on all the addicts I’ve had in my life. The dildo scene and the infection just were awful. Weirdly, I can watch all the other actors in any other role, but somehow every character Keith David plays is Big Tim to me. Takes me out of every movie with him in it, even Mr. And Mrs. Smith!
These are pretty much my feelings on the film. It works as piece of art. It’s certainly not a documentary. The film made me sad, but not particularly disturbed.
As others have said, to each his own. But I first saw this totally cold 10+ years ago on DirecTV pay per view. I had not heard anything whatsoever about it, and I loved every frame. I think the key is liking it as cinema, not so much as cautionary tale. Kind of like thinking of the film *300 *that way, instead of as bad history. It’s just an astounding collection of audio/visuals. Like a 90 minute music video, that just works.
I loved the unrelenting Kronos Quartet score so much I bought the CD. And their *Lux Aeterna *climax track has become almost a cliche for any overwhelmingly emotional scene.
I thought it was okay. Sure, some parts aren’t believable*. I thought it did a remarkable job of making drug users actual people (as opposed to Stephen King bullies like most anti-drug PSAs) and, obviously using some artistic license, how casual use can spiral out of control. Though I admit it wasn’t really disturbing, literally the only scene that I found disturbing was the shot when the main girl was cuddling the bag of drugs as if it replaced her boyfriend (and I’ll admit, that one shot disturbed me to a degree larger than it should have).
I honestly need an answer to this question, there were two parts I didn’t find believable that I want confirmation on:
Would they really send a guy who has an infection almost bad enough to need amputation to prison without treating him first?
and
Once in prison, isn’t work a privilege? I found it odd they were acting like they were forced to work, I always heard that work was something your were allowed, not forced to do. Granted I have about zero experience with prison.
Being over the top can be effective sometimes. It could be because the author had a lot of direct experience with addiction. Everything that was over the top probably had some grain of true experience at the core that was then expanded for dramatic effect.
Hubert Selby, the author of the book, was dependent on heroin and painkillers for decades. He also is credited as an author of the screenplay.
I’m another person that think the movie was excellent despite being uncomfortable and depressing. I think the same of the book.
To the OP: Did you see the R-rated version or the unrated version?
For me I found it depression due to the depravity that people would go through to sustain their addiction. Namely, when the guy was going to willingly agree to his girlfriend having sex with her shrink for money and then to Bit Tim for heroin. And, of course, how the people that had the dope where going to use the people that needed it.
I also think hearing other people comment on it before seeing it may have altered your expectations. I just saw it, having never heard of it, at a friends house. And, it was the unrated version so I found it shocking.