Clean

last updated 8 January 2015

This movie may be about getting clean, but it's not the traditional junkie-makes-good flick, said Stephanie Zacharek in Salon.com. Director Olivier Assayas isn't interested in montages of withdrawal symptoms or a coming-out party for his newly healthy heroine. For Emily Wang, an aging rock scenester who loses her common-law husband to a heroin overdose, weaning herself from the drug 'œis really the least of her problems, just the first layer of tangled brush she needs to clear away in order to find out what really matters to her.' In her case, that's her young son, who lives with his grandparents. As Wang, Maggie Cheung's complex performance is good enough to have earned her the Best Actress award at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, said V.A. Musetto in the New York Post. It's quite a feat for Cheung and Assayas, who signed divorce papers in the midst of filming. Incredibly, their breakup doesn't seem to have hurt the film. 'œIf anything, the personal tension might have contributed to Cheung's sensitive performance.' She isn't the only star, however, said Elizabeth Weitzman in the New York Daily News. Nick Nolte is heartbreaking in the role of Wang's father-in-law, who has to raise his grandchild and care for his dying wife. 'œWhen these two powerhouse performers come together, a rather predictable tale ignites with surprising force.'

Rating: R