Acclaimed director Darren Aronofsky‘s recent anti-meth public service announcements are creating an internet sensation for bringing provocative filmmaking to an important cause.

Created for the Meth Project, an anti-drug group original based in Montana, Aronofsky’s four shorts all feature a signature mix of highly-stylized visuals and brutal realism.

According to the National Institute of on Drug Abuse, reported meth use was declining in the US in the late 2000s; but it remains a problem, especially in the western region of the country.

The Meth Project has featured PSAs from famous directors for years now, including Tony Kaye (American History X), Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu (21 Grams), and several earlier ones from Aronofsky himself, but none of these seem to have generated the buzz that the current wave has produced.

It seems to me that what separates the current PSAs from the others is their opening moments, which feature a young person bathed in light and moving in slow motion.They are gripping, even beautiful shots, that make the following images of violence and tragedy all the more affecting.

The other PSAs are all well-made and often  (intentionally) disturbing, but they seem a little more predictable in their super-graphic depictions of young kids turned to crime, disease, violence, and suffering.

Of course, if you want a longer video, watch Aronofsky’s Requiem For A Dream. It’s basically the scariest, most heart-breaking, 90-min anti-drug announcement you’ll ever see.

Check out the PSAs for yourself and let me know what you think:

1. Deep End

2. Desperate

3. ER

4. Losing Control

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