Not really another 'addiction movie'
The reviews I've read of this movie all portray it as being fundamentally about drug addiction and its isolating effects, which is obviously the major plot point, but that's not what I got from it at all really. To me it was much more about hopelessness and depression, not so much stemming from the addiction as the reason for it. I know other commenters have criticized the movie for trying too hard to be about big pseudo-existential/nihilistic ideas etc., which may or may not be true, but I thought it did a great job of accurately portraying a depressed mindset (as when he's talking with his old friend and compulsively shoots down any normally hopeful vision of life) as well as the ways this alienates other people who try to help. I think if you look at it as another "addiction movie" it may seem a little rehashed or unnecessary, but as a realistic kind of mood piece about out-of-control hopelessness I think it's definitely worth seeing.
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