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Clean (2004)

Clean (2004)
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A woman throws herself into a last-ditch struggle to conquer her demons in this gritty drama from director Olivier Assayas. Lee Hauser (James Johnston) is a faded rock star who lives with his wife, Emily Wang (Maggie Cheung), the former host of a European music video show, in a small town in Western Canada. Both Lee and Emily have been battling drug addiction for years, and when Lee finally dies of an OD, Emily finds herself charged with possession of heroin and ends up spending six months in jail. Lee and Emily's son, Jay (James Dennis), has been living with his paternal grandparents, Albrecht (Nick Nolte) and Rosemary (Martha Henry), and while Emily is eager to see her son after getting out of jail, Albrecht persuades her that she needs to get herself clean before she can reconnect with Jay. Determined to get off methadone, Emily relocates to France, where she scares up a job as a waitress and moves in with her old friend Elena (Béatrice Dalle). Emily's attempts to start a new career and stay off drugs prove to be an uphill battle, and she doesn't appear to be winning her fight when she learns that Albrecht and Jay will be accompanying Rosemary to London for medical treatment when Rosemary contracts a serious illness -- and that Albrecht is considering making a side trip to Paris. Clean was screened in competition at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Starring:
Maggie Cheung, Nick Nolte, (more)
Director(s):
Olivier Assayas
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
R
Format(s):
DVD
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Synopsis of Clean

A woman throws herself into a last-ditch struggle to conquer her demons in this gritty drama from director Olivier Assayas. Lee Hauser (James Johnston) is a faded rock star who lives with his wife, Emily Wang (Maggie Cheung), the former host of a European music video show, in a small town in Western Canada. Both Lee and Emily have been battling drug addiction for years, and when Lee finally dies of an OD, Emily finds herself charged with possession of heroin and ends up spending six months in jail. Lee and Emily's son, Jay (James Dennis), has been living with his paternal grandparents, Albrecht (Nick Nolte) and Rosemary (Martha Henry), and while Emily is eager to see her son after getting out of jail, Albrecht persuades her that she needs to get herself clean before she can reconnect with Jay. Determined to get off methadone, Emily relocates to France, where she scares up a job as a waitress and moves in with her old friend Elena (Béatrice Dalle). Emily's attempts to start a new career and stay off drugs prove to be an uphill battle, and she doesn't appear to be winning her fight when she learns that Albrecht and Jay will be accompanying Rosemary to London for medical treatment when Rosemary contracts a serious illness -- and that Albrecht is considering making a side trip to Paris. Clean was screened in competition at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Theatrical Feature Running Time:
111 mins

Complete Cast of Clean


Director(s):
Olivier Assayas
Writer(s):
Olivier Assayas
Producer(s):
Xavier Marchand, Niv Fichman, Edouard Weil
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
R(Violence, Not For Children, Profanity, Adult Situations, Substance Abuse)
Categories:
Independent Films
Clean Awards:
  • 2004 - Cannes Film Festival - Best Actress
Warning:  This product is intended for mature audiences only. It may contain violence, sexual content, drug abuse and/or strong language. You must be 17 or older to purchase it. By ordering this item you are certifying that you are at least 17 years of age.

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    Mark J.

    Most addict movies are tailor-made to fit the PC message of "Drugs are bad, mm-kay?" There's the bottom, a stint in treatment, tearful confrontations, the gritty 12-step meetings, and a nice, reconciliatory ending. This movie eschews these trite scenarios for the more difficult task of mapping the psychological terrain of an incredibly self-obsessed, frightened, and lonely person. Maggie Cheung's performance is enthralling precisely because she doesn't play her character for the big drama, but instead "as-is," portraying a deeply flawed and movingly human person. Assayas' direction is flawless: the imagery in places is stunning and breathtaking, the narrative pace smooth, with many surprising and unpredictable terms. The final scene is a profoundly Zen-like moment I could watch over and over again.

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    Myles S.

    This movie was difficult to watch because most of the time Maggie Cheung's character is suffering. Lee, her lover and father of her child, died of an overdose. She too uses heroin and realizes that she has to get clean. It is an uphill struggle against habit, people not supporting her, and her child's grandmother telling the kid lies. There was a great scene when Maggie's character honestly discussed with her child how his parents lived, and how his father died. The ending gives hope that she has decided to remain clean.

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    Laurie H.

    I love this film for its honesty about human struggle and how someone is not perfect but trying to make a change in her life. Maggie Cheung and Nick Nolte gave great perfomances in this film. It kind of veers off the story line when she tries to get "tricky" to help her but other than that its a great movie very realistic feel how it was shot and the dialogue.

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