Rent Heaven Knows What (2014)

A Feral, Unsanitised, New York Story - Heaven Knows What review by griggs

Based on Arielle Holmes’ real-life journals—and starring Holmes herself—Heave Knows What plunges into the frantic, unromantic life of a young heroin addict navigating love, addiction, and the city’s indifference. The plot is loose, more loop than line, echoing the instability of Harley’s world.

Holmes is a revelation: raw, unschooled, but impossible to ignore. Her performance isn’t “acted” in any traditional sense—it’s lived. Caleb Landry Jones also turns up the chaos as Ilya, a twitchy, violent vortex of emotion and ego. The film’s handheld camera style and synth-laced score ratchet the tension to near-unbearable levels.

It’s not enjoyable. It’s not meant to be. But it’s magnetic. The Safdies don’t explain or moralise—they just immerse. And in doing so, they capture a New York that most filmmakers wouldn’t dare look in the eye.