Veteran director Olivier Assayas tackles the popular but uncomfortable topic of drugs and music in
Clean. Maggie Cheung is a musician suffering through a drug addiction, with the memory of her late husband, Lee, who overdosed, looming over her. Both are musicians who share a son, who is staying with Lee’s parents (Nick Nolte and Martha Henry). The film proceeds to follow Emily’s attempt to change her life, kick her habit, and become a successful musician. Her journey is always compelling, as she gets sidetracked by past loves, the need to reinitiate a relationship with Jay, her son, and, obviously, her drug addiction.
Assayas doesn’t waste any time with dull exposition, only establishing Emily’s relationship with Lee and their life that revolves around music. When she leaves Lee alone for the night, a pouring rain in the morning signals not only her isolation, but the cleansing that her husband’s death will allow. Though the moment lacks some emotional gravitas, as more about Lee becomes clear, the impact of his life and death is more believable. The film really gains its steam after an encounter between Emily and Jay’s father, Albrecht, that sets the stage for her transformation.
The film loses some focus, but only because this is the track her life takes. She is unable to concentrate on her career as a musician and her son because she has to deal with some events and mistakes from her past. All of these elements are exciting and convincing; Assayas never gives the impression that his film is just an observation. Rather, it is told almost completely from Emily’s point of view. When he does break away for the subplot of Jay, Albrecht, and Rosemary, Lee’s ill mother, the film loses momentum and passion.
All the performances are almost pitch-perfect, including, of course, Cheung, who won the Best Actress prize at Cannes, and Nick Nolte. The supporting players are just as good, if not better, with the annoying exception of James Dennis, who plays the young Jay. Almost every moment with him falls flat because of his undeveloped talent, but the film has so much depth that it doesn’t take much away. Much of the dialogue feels obvious and easy, but, because of these performances, it is not entirely unbelievable.
The biggest problem with the film, though, involves Emily’s musical talent. Though her singing voice is rarely heard, Assayas never convinces that she has enough skill to land the deals that she does. Since he ends the film implying that everything is in order regarding her career, it falls a little short and loses touch with reality. It becomes less about her movement to kick her drug addiction and more about her finding a job and supporting herself, so Assayas failed to reveal the potential of her career early on, likely because he has Lee die so early in the film.
Clean is certainly not one of the best films ever made about drugs (see:
Traffic,
Requiem for a Dream,
Last Days), but, thankfully, Assayas makes it about more than that. He never gets distracted by the less significant events in Emily’s life, always remindful of her ultimate goal. The performances are what sell the film; without them, it would just lie there with nothing but contrived dialogue and emotionally dead scenes. It becomes a very exciting musical journey. For Emily, though, it isn’t about the music at all; it’s her quest for independence and responsibility for her own life. Cheung plays not a musician, but a normal person who struggles to shake her life’s addictions in order to become more accountable for her actions.