The film follows a young woman who is addicted to heroin as she tries to get her next fix while roaming around New York City as she also contends with her on-again, off-again boyfriend who treats everyone like shit. It is a film that is really the study of a woman who is homeless and needing a fix where she deals with trying to scrounge money for her fix but also contend with her abusive boyfriend. The film’s screenplay by Josh Safdie and Ronal Bronstein is largely straightforward in its narrative yet it focuses on the life of Harley Boggs (Arielle Holmes) as she roams around the city while dealing with the coldness from her boyfriend Ilya (Caleb Landry Jones) to the point that she slashes her wrists in front of him where she goes to the hospital. Following her release, she continues to pursue Ilya but also befriends the low-level dealer Mike (Buddy Duress) by trying to get money and such as well as be around him to get her fix. Throughout the film, Mike questions why Harley continues to be around Ilya who is cold and abusive as he is reluctant to give her heroin though he has to do whatever to continue his business as well as feeding his own addiction.
The direction of Josh and Benny Safdie definitely has a raw quality to the overall presentation as if they’re showcasing everything on location in and around New York City through a form of cinema verite. Yet, it is a style that does give the film that realism it needed to showcase the grit and grime of Harley’s own lifestyle as she would often sit in a place with a sign needing money while would often take part in thefts at convenience stores. There are some wide shots the Safdies use to not just establish certain locations but also wisely avoid notable landmarks of the city by grounding the film in the streets where they use medium shots to play into the characters in certain spots. Notably a scene where Harley and Mike steal some mail to see if they can find something they can make money from as it play into the way junkies and dealers survive.
The Safdies also maintain this sense of desperation of how junkies live and go for their fix as the usage of close-ups play into that desperation including these shots of Harley on a bed with a pink neon light all over her. The film also showcases some graphic moments of violence such as a moment early in the film where Harley cuts herself in front of Ilya to prove her love to him as well as a fight between Ilya and Mike. It is among these moments that do feel real but also in Harley’s own blindness in her love for Ilya even though a lot of what Mike says about him is spot-on as it does play into this cycle of abuse. The third act doesn’t just showcase Harley’s own devotion towards Ilya but also some truths about Ilya as he is someone that can show love but it is only fleeting. Overall, Josh and Benny Safdie craft a mesmerizing yet harrowing film about the life of a heroin addict in the streets of New York City.
Cinematographer Sean Price Williams does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it is largely straightforward to play into the air of realism where it is shot with available light for many of its exteriors with bits of lighting for some of the interior/exterior scenes at night. Editors Benny Sadie and Ronald Bronstein do excellent work with the editing as it does have some style in its usage of jump-cuts and other straightforward cuts to play into the drama. Production designer Audrey Turner and art director Blake LaRue do fantastic work with the look of some of the homes that the characters crash at as well as a home where Mike lives in.
Visual effects supervisor Adam Teninbaum does terrific work with some of the film’s visual effects as it largely relates to a key moment late in the film that would play into something big. Sound mixers Evan Mangiamele and Benny Safdie do superb work with the sound as it play into the natural elements of the locations as well as how music is played on a location. The film’s music by Paul Grimstad and Ariel Pink, with additional pieces by Isao Tomita, is incredible for its eerie electronic score that play into some of the dark moments of the film with some somber pieces from Tomita as well as music from Burzum, James Dashow, Headhunterz, and Tangerine Dream for its soundtrack.
The casting by Eleonore Hendricks and Josh Safdie do wonderful work as it feature some notable small roles from Diana Singh as a woman who let Mike and Harley live at her home as long as they pay rent, Yuri Pleskun as a drug dealer named Tommy, Mike Patellis as Mike’s supplier Marcos who gives Harley a motorcycle ride, Aaron Keller as a Hasidic man who gives Harley money to get high, Benjamin Hampton as Mike’s friend Antoine, Eleonore Hendricks as Ilya’s friend Erica who would be a girlfriend to Mike during his break from Harley, and Ron “Necro” Braustein as a friend of Ilya and Harley in Skully who is hoping to help Harley out following her suicide attempt. Buddy Duress is amazing as Mike as a drug dealer who makes Harley his assistant of sorts while also giving her the fix she needs while also having issues with Ilya.
Caleb Landry Jones is brilliant as Ilya as Harley’s on-again, off-again boyfriend who is quite cold and verbally abusive towards her as he is also someone dangerous despite the fact that he does have some love for her. Finally, there’s Arielle Holmes in a phenomenal performance as Harley Boggs as a young heroin addict dealing with a tumultuous relationship as well as her own addiction where she deals with a self-destructive lifestyle and lots of uncertainty as there’s a raw nature to her performance as well as showcase the reality of how junkies live.
Heaven Knows What is a phenomenal film from Josh and Benny Safdie that features a great leading performance from Arielle Holmes. Along with its ensemble cast, gripping character study, raw visuals, and a hypnotic music score and soundtrack. It is a film that explore the life of a drug addict as she deals with trying to find a home and win back her boyfriend despite the fact that he’s cruel to her. In the end, Heaven Knows What is an incredible film from Josh and Benny Safdie.
Safdie Brothers Films: (The Pleasure of Being Robbed) – (Daddy Longlegs) – (Lenny Cooke) – Good Time (2017 film) – (Uncut Gems)
© thevoid99 2022
Set in the Lakota community at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, the film revolves around two siblings who deal with the death of their father as they both embark on different paths with the eldest preparing to leave to go to Los Angeles. It is a film that explore two young siblings as they also deal with the fact that they have a bunch of half-siblings as well as another who is serving a prison sentence as they ponder what to do next. Chloe Zhao’s screenplay is largely straightforward though it doesn’t have much of a plot in favor of exploring the diverging paths of John Winters (John Reddy) and his younger sister Jashaun (Jashaun St. John) who both live with their mother (Irene Bedard) as they get the news that their father died in a fire as he lives in another house. John does bootlegging to make money for his mom and sister yet is eager to go to Los Angeles with his girlfriend Aurelia (Taysha Fuller) despite the fact that her family don’t approve of him. Jashaun learns about John’s plans to go to Los Angeles leaving her heartbroken as she befriends the recently-released tattoo artist Travis (Travis Lone Hill) where she helps him while he would make her traditional ceremonial robe.
Zhao’s direction is definitely mesmerizing in its presentation as it is shot on location at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and areas nearby. Notably in the fact that it is shot on many of the rural areas as well as some mountains and canyons nearby as there is a beauty to the locations as well as this sense of community that is somewhat disconnected from modern-day society. Yet, it is a community that is vital but with its dangerous and chaotic elements due to the fact that there’s some bootlegging and other criminal activities. Zhao’s direction include a lot of wide and medium shot to capture the vast look of the locations that include these gazing shots of scenes in the canyons and mountains where a lot of the characters spend time alone or in these scenes in rural areas where there is this air of danger. Notably as bootlegging alcohol is something that is done and there’s a rivalry where John deals with others who aren’t fond of him interfering with their business.
Editing the film with Alan Canant, Zhao would keep much of the editing to be straightforward with a few jump-cuts for some of the film’s intense scenes that involve bits of gang violence as it adds to this world that is unruly. Zhao’s usage of close-ups also play into the drama as it relates to Jashaun and her time with Travis where it is a friendship that is about legacy and tradition where the latter believes that Jashaun has a greater future since she does care about the heritage of the Lakota. Zhao also play into this air of uncertainty as it relates to the fact that John and Jashaun both have these other half-siblings who all shared the same father though many didn’t live with him as he was a complicated individual. Even as John deals with the fact that as much as he wants to leave the reservation, it wouldn’t leave him as it is something Jashaun knew already. Overall, Zhao crafts a touching yet intoxicating film about two Lakota siblings dealing with loss and their next step in life.
Cinematographer Joshua James Richards does incredible work with the film’s cinematography as its emphasis on natural lighting for many of the daytime interior/exterior scenes as well as the usage of available lighting including fire for the scenes at night. Production designer/special makeup effects artist Melissa Barnard does excellent work with the look of the houses in their interior setting including Travis’ home and the home where John and Jashaun live along with the look of the many tattoos Travis has. Visual effects supervisor Darren Orr does terrific work with the film’s visual effects as it is largely set dressing for a few bits including a key scene involving violence.
Sound designer Bob Edwards does amazing work with the sound in capturing the atmosphere of the locations and some of the parties as it is a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Peter Golub is wonderful for its low-key ambient-based score to play into the drama while music supervisors Kevin J. Edelman and Ben Sokoler cultivate a music soundtrack that largely consists of traditional Native American music, hip-hop, pop, metal, and country music.
The casting by Rene Haynes is brilliant as it feature some notable small roles from Kevin Hunter as John and Jashaun’s incarcerated sibling Kevin, Bernardo Rodriguez as a police sergeant who gives John and Jashaun’s mother the news, Eleonore Hendricks as a young white woman in Angie whom John is fascinated by, Allen Reddy as an elder who gives John his father’s old truck, Taysha Fuller as John’s girlfriend Aurelia who is thinking about going with him to Los Angeles, Travis Lone Hill as a tattoo artist who befriends Jashaun and decides to make her some traditional robes, and Irene Bedard in a superb small role as John and Jashaun’s mother Lisa who copes with grief through alcohol before finding something that would give her meaning. Finally, there’s the duo of John Reddy and Jashaun St. John in phenomenal performances in their respective roles as the siblings John and Jashaun Winters. Reddy’s performance as John is filled with some angst but it is largely restrained to play into the sense of loss this young man is dealing with as well as the uncertainty of what he wants to do when he goes to L.A. St. John’s performance is more understated as a young girl who isn’t just dealing with a man she barely knew but also the idea that her brother is leaving her alone with her mother as she becomes fascinated by her heritage with the help of Travis as a way to keep her brother home.
Songs My Brothers Taught Me is a sensational film from Chloe Zhao. Featuring a great ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, intoxicating sound work, and its exploration of grief and growing pains in a remote community detached a bit from society. It is a film that doesn’t just explore two siblings dealing with revelations about their father and extended family but also going into different paths to find themselves and their roles in the community they live in. In the end, Songs My Brothers Taught Me is a phenomenal film from Chloe Zhao.
Chloe Zhao Films: The Rider - (Nomadland) – Eternals
© thevoid99 2022
