Heaven Knows What (2015) - Ben Safdie & Joshua Safdie

There have been many films made about drug addiction and the lifestyle of a junkie, but very few I've seen are quite capable of delivering the same feeling of authenticity as Ben & Joshua Safdie's Heaven Knows What.  The story is centered around Harley, a young heroin addict, who is very much in love with llya, a heroin addict himself, who seemingly wants little to do with her.  When Illya demands that Harley prove her love by killing herself, she attempts to oblige by slitting her wrists, ending up in the hospital where she is nursed back to health.  Released, Harley ventures back on the streets, looking for her next fix with her friend Mike, unbeknowst to her is that fact that heroin is her true love.  Heaven Knows What really captures the drifting lifestyle of junkies, being a film that doesn't really feel like it is following a narrative structure. Sleeping in abandoned houses, hustling and stealing to make money, doing drugs in the public bathrooms of Starbucks and McDonalds, Heaven Knows What captures the lifestyle of these characters in an impressive and genuine feeling way.   The fillm does a great job at showing the glossed over nature of all of these characters, having a cloudy consciousness where simply the mind isn't all there.  This is a film that isn't interested in explaining the past of Harley and Illya's relationship, though it does become clear that Harley was brought into the world of heroin by Illya.  What makes this so interesting, is how Harley perhaps holds a special place in heart because Illya was the one to introduce her to heroin, though I'm not sure that was the intent of the filmmakers.  This film shows how heroin is so addictive that it destroy everything, even love, with not only Harley but Illya showing moments of loving and caring that is essentially stripped away.  Heaven Knows What is a impressively crafted film in every way, from its claustrophobic compositions, to fantastic sound design, this film almost takes on the atmosphere of a horror film at times, never feeling forced but always gripping.  The cinematography uses the space of the frame so well, closing off these characters much like the addiction has done to their lives.  I'm not great at explaining sound design, but it felt sporadic and unfocused, which is absolutely a compliment given the nature of this film.  Even the color palette feels muted, at least in certain scenes, which makes Heaven Knows What a poignant and genius tale of a young woman who is addicted to heroin.

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