Heaven Knows What (2015)

Brilliant and touching

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

The acting in this movie is really good.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

If you are interested in the life of heroin addicts, Heaven Knows What should be for you. Brother directors, Ben and Joshua Safdie, discovered the film's star, Arielle Holmes, a heroin addict, panhandling on the streets and encouraged her to write her life's story down on paper. Holmes along with screen writing partner, Ronald Bronstein, wrote the script and Holmes stars as Harley, the film's protagonist. Bronstein has a supporting role as Skully who urges Harley to break up with her boyfriend Ilya, after Harley slits her wrists at Ilya's behest (he declares that he has no interest in dating her anymore).Shot in documentary style, the plot is rather lugubrious and has an unrelenting texture. In other words, this ain't easy to watch! We follow Harley after she shacks up with Mike, another addict and they spend time attempting to obtain money to support their habits (the usual means include of course panhandling, shoplifting and stealing). Mike gets into a fight with Ilya in Central Park and Ilya stabs him with a makeshift weapon but soon afterward Harley tells Mike that she's still crazy about Ilya.After Harley saves Ilya from an overdose, they decide to take a bus to Florida but Ilya abandons her on the way down and ends up consumed by a fire inside a vacant house.Nothing very much dramatic occurs at the denouement: Harley returns to NYC and watches Mike inside a fast food restaurant, as he boasts to his friends.There's not much more to tell here. The Safdies have done well here in bringing us Holmes' gritty narrative. But after a while, the actions of the principals mimic one another to the point where we're kind of happy it's all over. Holmes must be commended for overcoming her heroin addiction and now trying to break into the movie industry (probably harder to do than overcoming a heroin addiction!). For her next role, I'd like to see Holmes take a role that doesn't involve drugs. Then we'll see if she can really act instead of just playing herself!

Although it follows the lives of a group of young, homeless heroin addicts in New York, this deeply unsettling film is far removed from the typical Hollywood "junkie flick." I have known people like the characters it depicts, and I was immediately struck by the film's raw authenticity. Only later did I learn that the directors hit on the idea for the film after befriending (becoming infatuated with?) Arielle Holmes, the lead actor who was then living on the streets; they encouraged her to write about her experiences, paying her by the page, and eventually convinced her to star along with her friends in a film adaptation of her writing. Despite what has been charitably described as a "nano budget," "Heaven Knows What" is extremely well made. The score creates a sense of unease, and every shot in the film is expertly framed.

I began this movie in a state of repulsion: the characters live a stunted, grotesque life on the streets of New York. We are forced to bear witness to their pathetic lives, squabbles and desperate lust for drugs.However, I was struck by how strongly I felt about it. I realised the performances were raw, and without artifice, and brilliant. And I was being forced to consider a group of people I would usually shy away from, and reject without a moment's thought in real life. Characters come and go in a dreamy timeless stream of events. They are like wayward children: showing concern for each other's wellbeing one moment and scream obscenities at each other the next. They loudly proclaim tales of valour and adventure, eager for attention. Mike, ironically, lists the lethal dangers of driving on the back of a motorcycle as Harley rides around with a stranger. Ilya wanders up to Harley while she's listlessly having sex with someone in the gutter. Harley is vaguely entertained by a man doing tricks on a motorcycle. Ilya harasses Harley days after encouraging her to slash her wrists. They are dirty, mean, angry, violent, overly dramatic, desperate and lost. Arielle Holmes bring a fresh earnestness to the role of Harley. She is full of contradictions: vulnerable and hard, caring and disloyal, hopeless and hopeful. You can't help but look for signs of life, and potential in her eyes. Harley hints that Ilya was the reason she became a junkie. Her world revolves around her infatuation with Ilya, and her mind-numbing obsession with heroin. "Don't you want to be your own person?" Mike asks her. No. She is a shell of a person. There appears to be no hope of redemption for Harley.If you're a fan of great true-to-life story-telling and like a good art house flick, this is an excellent choice. The simplicity of these people belies a powerful story.

"Heaven Knows What" (2014 release; 94 min.) brings the story of Harley and her friends. As the movie opens, we see Harley making out with her boyfriend Ilyou, only later to see her beg of him in the library "what can I do for you to forgive me?". Ilyou isn't moved and in fact eggs Harley on to kill herself if she wants to prove to him how much she loves him. Much to Ilyou's shock and horror, she slits her wrist right in front of him. An ambulance is called and Harley survives. At this point we're not even 15 min. into the movie. To tell you more might spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.Couple of comments: this movie is directed by bothers Ben and Joshua Safdie, who have made plenty of previous films (usual shorties), and is based on Arielle Holmes' book "Mad Love in New York City". Mad indeed! I had a hard time relating to the characters, and simply couldn't understand what this movie was about, other than Harley and her friends talking, arguing, shooting up, and repeat. After an hour or so, I simply gave up trying to care of understand what this incomprehensible mess was trying to get at. I don't mean to sound harsh, but it's been a long time that I have felt so utterly disconnected from a movie (and I see LOTS of movies). I got the sense that the Safdie brothers were going for that same vibe usually associated with Harmony Korine ("Kids", "Spring Breakers"), except that they lack the vision which Korine lays out in his movies (and you may or may not agree with his vision, but he has one)."Heaven Knows What" opened without any pre-release fanfare or advertising at my local art-house theater in Cincinnati last week. As a fan of indie movies, I took a flyer on this and, despite not knowing much of the movie, I went to see this a few days ago. The early evening screening where I saw this at turned out to be a private screening, as in: I was literally the only person in the theater. Had I known more about the movie beforehand, it surely would've been a completely empty screening. As it turns out, I made a mistake going to see this movie as it's not worth seeing. That doesn't mean you have to make that same mistake. There are so many deserving indie movies out there for our viewing pleasure. "Heaven Knows What" is not one of them.