Bliss

Thirty-five years ago, I passed the point where drugs and alcohol brought me bliss and entered the hell of physical dependence without the payoff. I decided to stop, and every day clean felt like the pavement hitting me in the face. Eventually, the craziness of sanity was less than the craziness of intoxication, and reality became more normal than being high.

Anyone can do it, but most don't. They just like the fantasy more than life. My mother, two close friends, my cousins,, colleagues, etc. All stayed in the world of bliss until they died.

If you are using, stay here with the pain. Let it strip away from you the fantasy that is killing you. You deserve to live, and all you have to do is start where you are.

Now, about that movie. It's crap on a cracker, with the kind of mind-numbing insights people have when they are either newly sober or very, very stoned. There are better movies about addiction and mental illness, but what does it matter? If something in this movie gets through to you, use it as a way out. Get help.

Mike Cahill never seems to disappoint me so far. All of his works are very creative and thought-provoking. This film is a truly awesome exploration of the human mind just like Enemy (2013) was, which is also an underappreciated and misunderstood film. There are at least 3 ways to interpret this film of what is real and what is fake, there are tons of hidden details which give hints. There's also tons of funny references to popular culture and some multiple-meaning themes as well. I say this is some fresh air in comparison to all the mindless films we get nowadays.

This is one of the best movies I've seen that shows an insight into addiction. It actually was very moving, and anyone who has experienced addiction personally or with a loved one, it likely will bring up many emotions. I would highly recommend this movie.

Watching this movie was both refreshing and challenging. I had no idea that the marketing had been so off target.

It is quite remarkable in its effort of painting the depths of addiction. Still, maybe its a condition you need to have first hand experience with in order to understand the narrative.

Hopefully time will repair its rating.

This film is marketed as a sci-fi, altered reality adventure. It isn't. "Bliss" is a drug-induced hallucination from the perspective of a man who has lost touch with reality and fallen in love with an enabler. This is his struggle to regain his sobriety and reconnect with his estranged daughter. The film is a bit messy and the acting is simply passable... However, it is fresh and inventive, and it moves along swiftly.