Darren Aronofsky's adaptation of Hubert Selby Jr's novel about addiction is one of the most emotionally devastating films of living memory, so intense that it's hard to sit through more than once. Credit for the film's success should of course be shared among all its lead actors, including the never-better Jared Leto, Jennifer Connolly and Marlon Wayans (I mean really, who knew the Scary Movie guy had that in him?!), but it's really Ellen Burstyn who stands above the rest. As distressing as it is seeing the pretty young people lose everything to heroin, this wasn't too unique a spectacle in the wake of Trainspotting. Burstyn's character, on the other hand, challenges overriding notions about what constitutes addiction, demonstrating that legal over-the-counter products can be equally hazardous, and that buying into the dreams sold by TV can also prove harmful. Seeing Burstyn's lonely old woman gradually lose her grip on reality is enough to drive even the strongest among us to despair.
