Reno Rangan This film reminds me the Al Pacino's 'The Panic in Needle Park'. The independent filmmakers Safdie brothers directed it that inspired by the real life story of Arielle Holmes, who also starred in the lead role. This is definitely a depressing film, seeing those faces, eyes, makes sick. But a very realistic film, kind of aimless plot, till the final quarter and then with a small twist, the tale comes to an end.I have seen it and if you ask me about the story, I say its hard to describe, but it can be only watched like a documentary film. Over ninety minutes, the film revealed the life of homeless people. Like from their day beginning to the nightfall, how they make it and their preferences. So it is not an inspiring film, though at least there's something you can learn about them.After knowing the theme, I thought there would be lots of violence like rapes, stealing, cops and maybe killing. Surprisingly, it was none of those, not exactly, except drug addiction and sometimes stealing to buy drugs. Looks like from this film, the actress got a breakthrough, particularly in her life. I hope its turnover from hereon. I appreciate the directors for that who made a difference in someone's life. Don't think it is a film for entertainment, watch it if you are interested in the documentary film. So it's not for everybody, but some will find it good or maybe decent.6/10

sgcim Just saw this on Netflix, and I thought it was extremely well done, but it just didn't seem like most of the things that happened in the film could have taken place in the Manhattan of today. Too much of it took place right in the open, and I don't see how that could go on in the Police/Tourist State Manhattan has become, as the result of 24 years of the dictatorships of Giuliani and Bloomberg.A film like Panic In Needle Park was done before the gentrification of Manhattan, so its Manhattan setting was quite believable, but the author of the 'book' this was based on, Ms. Holmes, said in an interview that most of the incidents this was based on were taken from her life in Bayonne, NJ. The brothers that made this flick met Ms. Holmes on the subway while she was doing some type of apprenticeship in the Diamond District.I suppose that Ms. Holmes decided to set, "Mad Love in NYC" in NYC, because who would care about a book called "Mad Love in Bayonne"?I had just seen "My Beautiful Broken Brain", and it seems to be a trend of having beautiful women who have gone through bad ordeals, starring in films about said ordeals. If both of these movies were about unattractive women, I doubt they would have had any marketability, hence probably wouldn't be made, but hey, it worked in my case; I wouldn't have watched either movie if their stars weren't so gorgeous!

Conall Jones This is an incredible touching, intimate and stark film. You follow a young woman, who seems so fragile lost in a world we all fear filled with drugs, hopelessness and even more frightening: Love. We've all seen the passionate and outlandish arguments on the street between people that call it home, but we disregard it all as fleeting and inhuman. This film puts a human face to the people we turn away from so quickly. I commend the filmmakers for not making heroin sexy. It's a sad disease you contract that's taken three of my close friends. This film helps us better understand drug abuse and the people stuck in that cycle. It couldn't have felt more real.

Sergeant_Tibbs There are few films as unforgiving as Heaven Knows What. With its blistering soundtrack and rough in-your-face photography, you're either captivated or eyeing the exit. The Safdie brothers fictionalised retelling of Arielle Holmes life on the street, as played impressively by herself, is relentlessly bleak. The only joy is securing a dose of heroin. It doesn't keep track of names or days, just showing how she survives moment-to-moment. That kind of loose narrative thread void of character backstories can work if it holds together thematically, but Heaven Knows What isn't clear what it's trying to say besides showing the life of an addict. It latches onto hints of a theme of unrequited love, as demonstrated by Holmes' toxic relationship with her easy-to-loathe on-off-again boyfriend Ilya. Not that he has to be likable - the devastating first act where he encourages her to commit suicide is the film's finest stretch - but he's so loathsome that he drag the film down with him. Holmes has her own moments of venom, though it's balanced with vulnerability. Perhaps his purpose thematically is that he represents her relationship with heroin, but that's too on-the-nose and flimsy to bolster the film's quality. Instead, the film hinges on that docu-style commitment from both the directors and the cast. Certainly an emotionally exhausting experience with the aesthetics, I just wish it was more thoroughly explored on paper first.7/10