The arrogant woman we meet at the start of "Clean" is very different from the haunted person she becomes for much of this 2004 film from writer-director Olivier Assayas ("Demonlover"). In a smoky bar in Canada, Emily (Maggie Cheung) and her singer-songwriter partner, Lee (James Johnston), launch into an argument with his manager, Vernon (writer-director Don McKellar), about Lee's career. Emily claims, unconvincingly, that DreamWorks is interested in signing him. Vernon snaps at her to come back to reality out of her "psychedelic junkie fantasy world." Read the full review
Her past riddled with drugs and regrets, Emily now has one obsession: To make a fresh start with her son, who is being raised by her in-laws. To achieve this goal, she will have to rebuild her life and become clean.
Director: Olivier Assayas
Starring: Maggie Cheung, Nick Nolte, Beatrice Dalle, Jeanne Balibar, James Johnston, Martha Henry
Run time: 111 minutes
Release date: April 28, 2006
Rating: R for drug content, language and brief nudity.
On the web
Official movie site
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: B-
"Cheung is always amazing to watch, whether she's floating through Paris in a methadone fog or collapsing under belated waves of grief..."
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