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Review

Heaven Knows What

5 out of 5 stars

This indie drama about New York junkies feels absolutely honest

Joshua Rothkopf
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Time Out says

This extraordinary indie chronicles young junkies on New York’s West Side. If it feels authentic, that’s because its writer and star Arielle Holmes, a former addict, based the script on her own experiences. She plays Harley, a teenager who is as frighteningly committed to her daily fix as she is to her emotionally remote boyfriend (a scary Caleb Landry Jones).

As gritty as ‘Heaven Knows What’ often feels, it’s lightened up by empathy and poetic moments: desperate kisses; a passed-out couch-nap lit by slanting sunbeams; a beautifully eerie synth score by Japanese composer Isao Tomita. This isn’t easy to watch, but it is bold, brave filmmaking.

Release Details

  • Release date:Friday 29 April 2016
  • Duration:94 mins

Cast and crew

  • Director:Joshua Safdie, Ben Safdie
  • Screenwriter:Joshua Safdie, Ronald Bronstein
  • Cast:
    • Caleb Landry Jones
    • Arielle Holmes
    • Buddy Duress
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