'Heaven Knows What' Review: These Amateur Filmmakers Sure Know How To Make A Good Film!


• Heaven Knows What, 2014 • Safdie Brother's • 8.6/10 •

Heaven Knows What centers around the real-life stories of actress/writer Arielle Holmes who stars as a lightly fictionalized version of herself.

The Safdie brothers we're working on another film at the time when they bumped into Arielle in NYC, and they we're so intrigued by her story, they decided to get her to write a memoir, paying her by the page.

This is not an easy film to watch, the Safdie brothers made this flick like a raw documentary, shot with long lenses and backed up by a haunting electronica score which cuts you straight to the bone. This incredibly touching story follows the life of 3 young, homeless heroin addicts and there journey for their next fix, and one's journey to find love or sense of purpose. You witness how harsh life is on the streets, how heroin effects their everyday lives, how they have nothing to hope, live or fight for. It is a real dark, and lonely place to be, and the Safdies portray that perfectly.

Arielle Holmes is absolutely captivating, stealing every single scene with ease. Must of taken some strength to relive all that again. Kudos! Caleb Landry Jones was brilliant, I've only seen him in a couple of films, but this one he truly stood out. And Billy Duress was pretty spectacular to, I honestly thought he was a real life junkie until I clocked onto who he was!

This film isn't without it's faults, but considering it's one of their first proper goes at making a full-length feature film, I can gladly say I will be checking out every film these guys release from here on in! Must see!


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