Plot Summary

Maggie Cheung gives an extraordinary performance in CLEAN, written and directed by her ex-husband, Olivier Assayas. Cheung stars as Emily Wang, a junkie living with fading rock-and-roll star Lee Hauser. Their wild life has swung so far out of control that their young son, Jay lives far away in Vancouver with Lee's parents, Rosemary and Albrecht. One night, after fighting over Lee's future career, Emily goes for a long ride, only to return to find that Lee has overdosed and the cops are ready to bring her in. After spending six months in prison, Emily discovers that life for a recovering heroin addict -- who still has a thing for other drugs, as well as alcohol -- is going to be a lot harder than she thought. She also decides to reconnect with Jay, who is not thrilled with her sudden and confusing reappareance in his life. Cheung, who has starred in such diverse films as Wong Kar-wai's romantic In The Mood For Love, Zhang Yimou's martial arts epic Hero, and Assayas's own Irma Vep, which is set in the world of moviemaking, was named Best Actress at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival for her mesmerizing portrayal of Emily, an ambitious woman lost in a haze of drugs and desire. Nolte excels as the soft-spoken Albrecht, who only wants what's best for his grandson while also being concerned about Emily's welfare. Musicians Tricky, David Roback of Mazzy Star, and Emily Haines of Metric appear in the film as themselves, and Beatrice Dalle and Jeanne Balibar are excellent in supporting roles. The soundtrack features songs by Brian Eno, Luna's Dean Wareham, Tricky, Metric, and Cheung herself.