Assayas / 2004 / UK-France-Canada / 111 mins / 35mm / cert 15
(Sun 6th + Tues 8th - Wed 9th / 8pm / £2)

Dispelling the myth of 'heroin chic', this moving and convincing drama centres around a young widow of a pop star, who fights for custody of her child and against addiction. Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung (famous for her roles in Hero and Wong Kar Wai's In the Mood For Love and 2046) turns out a heavyweight portrayal of a woman trying to rebuild her life having been released from jail. Nick Nolte plays her suitably gruff, benevolent and protective father-in-law who tries to shelter his grandson from his mother's wayward habits.

Unlike most films about drugs Clean does not sensationalise its subject matter but is performance driven as Chueng's flawed character compels the viewer into considering the way in which one judges and measures another. The action shifts from British Colombia to Paris and then London and includes appearances by Tricky and Mazzy Star’s David Roback (acting as themselves and in concert) plus a soundtrack credit for Brian Eno. An important contemporary deconstruction of pop-Utopian lifestyle.