Heaven Knows What

Known up until now for their bittersweet comedies, the Safdie brothers abandon all the sweetness in their film Heaven Knows What. Following in the footsteps of Jerry Schatzberg’ s The Panic in Needle Park, they submerge themselves into the world of New York’s homeless heroin addicts. And while the dirt of the streets has become commonplace in the world of cinema, the American brothers try to provide something new in the form of the unpublished memoirs of Arielle Holmes, who plays Harley in the film. Besides heroin, Harley is also addicted to Ilya, who, in the opening minutes of the film, suggests that she kill herself. When she obediently, but unsuccessfully, opens up her veins, the real mood swings begin. Reconciliations, separation, crying, and everyday life on the streets – the search for the next fix. To show these emotional ups and downs, the filmmakers use a form that freely combines raw documentary reality with a pulsating soundtrack and experiments with focus and sharpness.