I had heard this was a tough movie to watch, but I can't remember where I heard that. To whomever made that statement, I agree with you. The indie drama was about drugs and the hell that comes with them. It truly goes into the perils of addiction in a very, very raw way. So in a nutshell, that's what we're dealing with here.
If you want to see it, quit reading because I lash out some spoilers. If not or if you don't mind, click and read on...
In a more elaborate nutshell, there are four characters who become addicted. The mom wants to lose weight, her doctor prescribes her something, and they turn out to be amphetamines. She gets thin but also loses her mind and becomes addicted to them and to her television. (Oh, that's another thing I almost forgot: the TV show/infomercial she watches every frickin' day is SOOOOOO annoying. I could not stand it after a while, either.) Her son becomes a dealer, loses his money, and goes on a quest to get back on top. In the process, he starts using his own stash and in the end, he loses his arm from infection from shooting up so often. His girlfriend becomes increasingly addicted, too, needing a fix all the time. She does almost anything to get money for her fix. Their friend also tries to become a dealer, but ends up in prison mopping floors.
I have never been on drugs but boy did I feel like I was on something while watching this movie. Or I was a paranoid schizo. When it was over, I felt like I had to recover for a bit to tell you the truth. The music was repetative: there were about 5 tracks used throughout the entire movie. There were more and more flashing lights (think annoying office lights that are going out.) The scenes and cuts became more abrupt. And it got to a point where I could not take it anymore! I'm serious. I ended up speeding up the movie a bit and/or muting it because the repetative mood music just grated on your nerves like nails on a chalkboard. I was still interested to see what happened, yes, but I just wanted to get through the darn thing when it was 2/3 over. I cannot even imagine seeing this one in a theater where A, you can't pause the movie, and B, you are surrounded by it and it's loud.
Now, despite all that, I think that's how I'm supposed to feel. I think that is what the director wanted the audience to feel like by the end of it: like you've been on a bad trip. The dull music was a sign of how routine the drugs became in their lives. There was a very methodical way that they depicted when they took their drugs, too. It was the same each time, again driving home the routine and the point that the drugs stay the same, it's the people who are changing. The characters get sucked down, becoming more addicted and more paranoid, and you go down with them. So, in that view, I think the movie was a success. Did I enjoy it? Not really, it's not very... fun. Is it a good movie to show some mature teens? Yeah, it'll work way better than D.A.R.E. any day. Do I want to see it again? Nnnnnno. But it was an interesting movie because the story and the way it was all put together was just so real.
I'm very aware of drugs; I live in the #1 meth county in America and am very accustomed to headlines regarding the subject. To act like they don't impact people's lives, and ruin them many times, is just denial. So despite the difficulty in watching it, I feel the movie does a good job of bringing that impact to the screen because it impacts you, the audience, in the process.
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