Heaven Knows What

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Wayne K @WayneKelso Jun 12, 2026 Heaven Knows What is the kind of film about addiction that feels like it was made by someone who’d actually experienced it firsthand, and not the sanitised, even glamourised Hollywood version. That’s because it is. Arielle Holmes lends her real-life story to the Safdie brothers who, despite being unable to get out of their comfort zone of ‘constant drawn out arguments strew on top of each other’, manage to craft a fittingly bleak and sombre portrayal of those on the self-inflicted bottom run of society. Theres a serious disconnect with the audience, as none of the characters are likeable enough to root for. What it does best is demonstrate how strong the bonds between junkies can be, as their life is often so fleeting that they’ll cling on to anything they possibly can. The performances are very authentic, and spending time in the seedy streets and apartments of New York make you feel as grubby as the characters look. Not an easy or fun watch, but an illuminating one. See more Claudio C @Claudio666 Nov 13, 2025 Heaven Knows What (2014) Junkie’s Love (12,060 – 13 Nov 2025 – by Claudio Carvalho) In New York City, the homeless junkie addicted in heroin Harley (Arielle Holmes) is in deep unrequited love with the junkie Ilya (Caleb Landry Jones). When he dumps her, she buys a Gillette and tries to commit suicide, cutting her wrist. She returns to the streets, and the junkie Mike (Buddy Duress) takes care of her and provides bags of heroin to her. Meanwhile, she begs on the streets and commits petty thefts. But despite the abusive treatment of Ilya towards her, Harley is still in love with him. "Heaven Knows What" (2014) is a movie by Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie about homeless addicted in heroin people and junkie’s love in New York City. The story is simple due to the theme, but the performances are impressive, highlighting Arielle Holmes, Buddy Duress and Caleb Landry Jones. In the end, this movie impresses the viewer due to its realism. My vote is seven. Title (Brazil): "Amor, Drogas e Nova York" ("Love, Drugs and New York") My Blog: https://maniacosporfilme.wordpress.com/ See more Alec B @Alec97 Dec 14, 2023 What's shocking isn't the violence, drug use, or how the characters suffer, it's how authentic all those things feel. I'm not sure I could ever bring myself to revisit this film, but I appreciate that something this raw exists. See more jed i @RT01296269 Nov 2, 2021 5.7/10 — "Mediocre"/"Passable" See more Feb 22, 2021 The story behind this film is both inspiring and unbelievable. Arielle Holmes was a homeless New York crack addict in her early twenties. Shortly after her recovery, while she was an intern at a New York jewel shop, the Safdie brothers discovered her during research for another film (you can probably deduce which one). They advised her to write a memoir. She did so, and they adapted it for the big screen with Holmes herself playing a fictionalized version of herself, not as Arielle but as Harley, a character going through events painfully similar to the real thing, roaming the streets of New York City with other young people lost in the folly of drugs. You don't get to see this level of authenticity in a film too often. Filming exclusively on location, Josh and Benny Safdie prove with their first somewhat mainstream film that neorealistic blood goes through their veins. With the help of Holmes' excruciatingly real performance, they tell a story of suffering, addiction and toxic relationships (in the most literal sense). Still, what I find most exceptional in Heaven Knows What and also what makes it a challenging and fascinating exercise in filmmaking is the slightly expressionistic meat on the neorealistic bones, with an eerie soundtrack and some neon-lighted shots that effectivelly transport you right inside Harley's scarred heart. The Safdies would eventually flesh out this side to their directorial personas in the later, excellent Good Time. This is where they demonstrated what visceral filmmakers they are, their unique style pulsating in every shot of their career. See more júlio a @RT51210674 Jun 5, 2020 A história de uma viciada e seu amor...o filme é bem complicado, praticamente a rotina inteira de uma viciado e suas angústias. Mas é bem atuado e filmado. See more Read all reviews

Heaven Knows What

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