By EWAN McDONALD
(Herald rating: * * * * * )
A housewife chains her TV to the wall heater. Her son frees it and wheels it to a pawn shop. Anything in her house can be sold for cash to buy his drugs. His girlfriend and best mate are addicts, too.
So is mum, to TV and sugar.
The mum is Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn), the superb actress made over as fat and raddled in dirty house dresses. Her son, Harry (Jared Leto), is gaunt and wasted; so is his girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly). Another surprise: Marlon Wayans, not being funny, as his junkie best-friend Tyrone.
Sara, retired, passes her days with the other old ladies on deck chairs in front of their building. She's addicted to a game show and when she thinks she may be a guest contestant, Sara gets diet pills from the doctor to help her lose weight.
She loses more than weight: soon she's hallunicating about the fridge that's threatening her. Meanwhile, Harry is losing it, Marion is sliding into prostitution and Tyrone is planning a score.
Welcome to life in the new millennium, according to Darren Aronofsky, the director who made the astonishing Pi and has made an equalling impressive return.
Running time: 102 mins
Rental: Today
