Requiem for a Dream

Often hype about films lead to disappointment and after waiting 14 months after release for my local cinema to show this film, I was done thinking about it. Thank goodness too, rather than challenge my brain (not hard to do unfortunately) this film went straight for the heart, ripped it out and kicked it around the floor for 90 minutes. As the addictions plunged further into the depths of Hell, I felt myself more and more arrested by the film. I've never left a film shaking or feeling physically ill- not including Pearl Harbour, of course :) You want to look away, but cannot.

This movie is by no means flawless, but then again I would like to hope that the flaws add to the gritty reality of the film. The ending was truly the most frightening thing I have ever seen in film- forget the cheap scares of The Exorcist, Psycho and the endless bile of the 'slasher flick', this stuff is REAL.

In a country amid a 'war against drugs' this is a powerful film which could do more to turn kids away from drugs than any measly government "task-force" or classroom lecture.

This ranks up there as one of the three most powerful movies I have ever seen in my lifetime (Full Metal Jacket and Grave of The Fireflies being the other two). This movie shows the brutal honest side of addiction and over-indulgence. Not just drugs, although it heavily shows drug addiction. Also shows how one addiction can lead to another and how damaging it can be for you. I watched this alone, and felt so stunned afterwards, I had to call a friend just to calm my nerves. Seriously, this is a brutal (one more time) BRUTAL film. The acting is wonderful - Ellyn Burnstyn and Jenniffer Connely are just wonderful in this movie, and Marlon Wayons was such a shocker in a serious role. Everyone must watch it, for it's entertainment value, and more importantly, it's educational value. But it leaves chills down your spine for it's honesty and unforgiving lessons.

Requiem for a Dream (2000), is a human character-study on film. Darren Aronofsky's, crazy, drug-induced, rollercoaster-ride, gives that 1980s feel to the viewer, throughout the whole film. It has a fantastic calling to that old-Hollywood-style of filmmaking. The best component to this film is most definitely, the acting. Ellen Burstyn is Sara Goldfarb, a retired couch-potato, who is addicted to a bad self-help TV show, that cons her into believing she can lose weight if she uses certain drugs. These pharmaceuticals eventually destroy her mind and create a horrible addiction for her. Meanwhile, her dead-beat son, Harry (Jared Leto), comes up with the brilliantly dumb idea of creating a haven for himself, his friend Tyrone (Marlan Wayans) and Harry's girlfriend, Marion (Jennifer Connelly), by getting into the street-drug business. Unfortunately, he and his friends are now all junkies and things don't go so well as planned.

This film is not for the squeamish. It involves many horrible aspects of life. It shows the terrible things human beings are capable of doing, to themselves and the consequences, of such poor decision-making. Requiem for a Dream (2000), does manage to pull at your emotions and makes you feel, very sorry for these people. I won't say anymore, but there is a reason why Ellen Burstyn was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar for this film. The directing, camera-work and editing, is fantastic. Aronofsky's direction is quite fitting, for the drug-incited delusions seen in the film. Jennifer Connelly's performance is staggeringly good. She definitely leaves her comfort zone for this film. For myself, Requiem for a Dream (2000), was shocking, brought out many emotions and contained a life-lesson, we should all pay attention to.

PMTM Grade: 9.0 (A-) = 9 IMDB.

This movie is the most disgustingly beautiful and horrifying movie.

This movie is about how drugs can affect your life. Watching this movie really hurts. If you want to convince someone to stop doing drugs / live more healthy this is the movie to do it. Great acting (especially by Ellen Burstyn) and a realistic / convincing story but man is it painful to watch. This is the kind of movie you are happy to have watched at some point but you don't want to rewatch it because it is a real mood killer.

9/10 would recommend if you are looking for a heavy, dramatic movie.