Tags
2000's, Darren Aronofsky, Drama, Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans, Psychological Drama, Requiem for a Dream
Film Title
Requiem for a Dream
Director
Darren Aronofsky
Starring
- Ellen Burstyn as Sara Goldfarb
- Jared Leto as Harry Goldfarb
- Jennifer Connelly as Marion Silver
- Marlon Wayans as Tyrone Love
The hopelessness and destructiveness of drug addiction and shattered dreams is brought to chilling and startling life in Requiem for a Dream. Darren Aronofsky directs this harrowing movie that is never easy to watch, but totally hypnotic and devastating in his it captures the lows of drug abuse and addiction in general.
The film concerns four characters in Brighton Beach, New York and in the shadow of Coney Island. Sara Goldfarb is a kind, middle-aged widow who is hooked on television shows and sweet foods. Though she has friends, she is lonely and her only real visitor is her son Harry. The trouble is Harry, while at heart a good young man, is hooked on heroin and other drugs, which prompts him to regularly pawn her television to feed his drug habit. He and his best friend Tyrone, who also takes drugs, want to make some money from dealing so they can make it big and not have any worries at all. At the start, their drug business goes pretty well, yet goes sour as darkness sets in. Also present in their lives is Harry’s rebellious girlfriend Marion, who has a flair for fashion designing and wishes to open her own store. She is from a privileged background, but has distanced herself from it and hangs frequently with Harry. Marion regularly starts to consume heroin and other drugs as much as Harry and the once artistic and loving girl resorts to prostituting and degrading herself to get the next fix. This really becomes prominent as Harry and Tyrone’s plans implode and they are all left scrambling for the drugs they crave so much. Meanwhile, Sara receives a call that she has been selected to appear on television. Thrilled by the prospect as it has become a sanctuary for her, she sets about cleaning up her blowzy image. Yet she become extremely fixated on her appearance for television and in particular getting into a red dress from her younger days. Now older and having put a bit of weight on, she attempts to diet but can’t help her hankering for sweet foods. Finally, she goes to a sleazy and corrupt doctor who prescribes a collection of diet pills. Sara begins taking them and while the weight falls off, her increasing dependence on them results in a horrifying mental breakdown. Quickly, the drug addictions worsen and the lives of the quartet are irrevocably altered into darkness and desolation.
Darren Aronofsky masterfully crafts this shocking and hard-hitting movie, unearthing a desolate wealth of broken emotion in the desperate situations of the characters and how their dreams are ultimately crushed by addiction. His restless camera and variety of techniques, such as time-lapse, exaggerated sounds and split screens that throw us into the dangers of addiction and the brief moment the characters feel any hope are mesmerising as well as horrifying. He truly makes the movie a painful but necessary experience that leaves your stomach churning and your head spinning. While Aronofsky is chiefly a visual director of the highest order, he can also expose the sadness of individuals grasping for something just beyond their reach. His screenplay, co-written with Hubert Selby Jr., the author of the book from which the film is based, discovers the lost hopes and pipe dreams of the four people and how they go about it the wrong way in the end. One stand out example is the revealing and very tragic monologue from Sara to her son, as she speaks of how her pills have helped her be someone again( when in reality, the sad irony is that her mind has been broken and she continues to slip). The manic sincerity and deluded belief with which she speaks of how she feels like she matters again is just so devastating to watch and heartbreaking in the extreme. Cinematography and editing immediately out you in the mindset of these tragic characters looking for the next gig, spinning and often in extreme close up so there’s no room to hide. What most stands out is the scenes of drugs being consumed as they offer escape, high or buzz that everyone craves. The high is temporary and fleeting, but enough for the characters to get by for that moment, while it erodes away their self-respect and sense of reality. It’s all illusory in the end as their cravings grow and their lives are destroyed by their habits. Routine and repetition feature heavily throughout the psychological drama, almost another form of addiction in itself for everyone involved. There’s no big happy ending to Requiem for a Dream, and neither should there have been because it would have cheapened it. What we are left with is a shattered and bleak picture of just how far these four people have fallen in chasing what they thought would be the answer to their prayers, but became a nightmare. As a movie, Requiem for a Dream leaves you shaken and floored with just intensely it depicts addictions of every kind and the dark, grim outcome of them. I mean, the last half and hour is a visceral descent into personal hell for the characters and we are pulled in too and forced to witness the degradation of it all. And of course, there is the iconic and memorable score for Requiem for a Dream that lingers in the mind. Composed by Clint Mansell and performed by the Kronos Quartet, the throbbing, humming pulse, haunting strings and electronic design of the music provides hypnotic listening and deep horror in equal measure.
Ellen Burstyn heads the cast with the best performance in the movie. The rest of the small cast are extremely fantastic, but Burstyn is the real glue of it all. She is simply heartbreaking and mightily powerful in her portrayal of the sweet, widowed and obsessed mother whose life spirals into oblivion once she gets the call to say her biggest dream will come true(eventually at the expense of her mind). It’s a completely vanity free performance as Burstyn throws her body and soul into Sara; hauntingly displaying insecurity, deluded dreams and a quivering vulnerability that continues to unravel as pills ravage her. An impressive Jaded Leto, sporting a gaunt face and withered physique, finds a deep desperation within Harry, who is inherently a good person making the wrong choice. He’s a dreamer at heart, much like his best friend, but one whose life continues to crash as his habit worsens that Leto plays splendidly and convincingly. Jennifer Connelly contributes a fearless sense of debasement and drowning as the initially rebellious and crazy in love Marion, who gets more hooked on heroin than her boyfriend and resorts to desperate measures for it. A surprisingly effective and largely serious performance from the usually funny Marlon Wayans is what rounds out the tragic quartet of characters. At first he is jocular and filled with wonder, but over time his dreams go up in smoke and Wayans subtly embodies that feeling of loss and sadness. What is admirable about all the performances is how far they are willing to go to depict the hardships and horror of addiction, which they all do to a massively skilled and shocking degree.
Grim and unrelenting, but intentionally so, Requiem for a Dream is a haunting film in every sense of the word as envisioned by the highly skilled Aronofsky. Bolstered by a wholly committed cast, in particular a heart wrenching Ellen Burstyn, Requiem for a Dream is challenging and horrifying, but you’ll never forget it once you’ve seen it.
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Mr. Bobinsky said:
Everyone has his own drugs…
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vinnieh said:
Great point. While the movie looked at addiction to mainly drugs, it found other ones in television and sugary foods for Sara. Addiction took hold of all of them.
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Mr. Bobinsky said:
Yes. That was the most terrifying thing for me.
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vinnieh said:
I felt so sorry for Sara, she was just an old, lonely woman who wanted to be appreciated.
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Mr. Bobinsky said:
Because with the drugs everything is clear and we all know about it, but other things are often accepted by the society as a norm.
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vinnieh said:
You said it so well and perceptively.
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fragglerocking said:
I have not seen this V~man, and though it sounds quite brilliant from your review, I doubt that so much bleakness would do me any good!
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vinnieh said:
It is a very bleak movie, but intentionally so as addiction is a damaging and harmful thing. I think the movie is worth seeing once, but not often as it really stays with you. Still can’t get parts out of my mind.
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Cindy Bruchman said:
Great review, Vinnieh. It is a powerful film . I agree, Burstynon
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vinnieh said:
It truly devastates as a film, especially that last half hour. Ellen Burstyn is truly heartbreaking here, what an immense and challenging performance.
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orvillewrong said:
Very interesting review, sounds like one to watch out for!
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vinnieh said:
It’s a very powerful and difficult movie to watch. It truly cuts to the soul and exposes the dreams that have gone sour for these four characters.
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Cindy Bruchman said:
Oops. Burstyn is the glue.
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vinnieh said:
I understood what you meant.
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Old Boy said:
Very bleak movie that has moments of fun. By the way great review.
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vinnieh said:
The fleeting moments of fun are all ultimately counteracted by the loss of hope and dreams going on a downward spiral.
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sati said:
Great review! This is one of the scariest movies ever made and the performances are just incredible.
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vinnieh said:
Though it isn’t classified as a horror movie, I’d definitely say it is in many respects. It’s the horror of dreams being scattered, the horror of addiction and horror of choices. And those performances were something else.
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raistlin0903 said:
This is another film that has been sitting on my list for ages, but as usual I haven’t seen it yet. As the bleakness of it, is at the moment a little bit too depressing for me, I’m not going to be seeing this anytime soon. But that does not mean that I did not enjoy your review for it, which as always was an awesome read 😊
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vinnieh said:
I hope you’re feeling OK, if you ever want to talk I am here. It’s a bleak but necessary movie that really depicts the lows and depths of drug addiction.
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raistlin0903 said:
Thanks my friend. I am doing okay, but supporting someone who is going through a depression each day is honestly taking it’s toll on me. So that is why I tend to avoid the really sad films at the moment. Nonetheless I do want to check this one out ar some point 😊
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vinnieh said:
I totally understand you my friend. Just hang in there, my man.
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raistlin0903 said:
Thanks for your support, I really appreciate it. And I promise to hang in there 😊
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vinnieh said:
You’re a good friend and I only want the best for you.
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raistlin0903 said:
Thanks, and as mentioned before: that defintely goes both ways 😊
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vinnieh said:
Thanks man. And if you need something cheeky, my other blog has just the ticket.
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vinnieh said:
The review before this was for a comedy which was really cheery and fun.
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James J. Cudney IV said:
Wow, that picture of her is haunting. Great post. I saw this a long time ago, but I need to watch it again.
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vinnieh said:
It’s a searing and devastating image from a film that is both of those things.
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vikramhereblog said:
I loved the title.
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vinnieh said:
The title is very apt for the film as it plays a tragic psychological drama of dreams being chased but ultimately ruined.
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apesdontreadphilosophyblog said:
My friend coined a name for a category into which you can put a movie this bleak: “shoot-your-knee-caps-off depressing” As in, you would probably rather shoot your knee caps than watch it again. It was an amazing film, I saw it in the theater when it came out, but I can’t imagine ever watching it again.
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vinnieh said:
I think your friend might be on to something there. It’s bleak and uncomfortable but searingly powerful stuff.
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alexraphael said:
Mr Bobinsky has it right. We all have our own additions for sure. This is arguably your best written review. And you know hiw high I rate your regular stuff. So much sadness. And it highlights how drugs aren’t just about young people.
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vinnieh said:
My best written review, you really think so? I’m over the moon with that comment. This movie left me a wreck, so much melancholy and tragedy unfurled in it.
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Jay@cinemaessentials said:
Great review. This is a very good film, but a tough watch. Mansell’s score is also the source of “Lux Aeterna”, favourite of film trailers everywhere.
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vinnieh said:
It left a deep impression that’s for sure. The music was haunting and despite it being used numerous times in trailers, still holds up.
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abbiosbiston said:
This is one of the very few films I thought was absolutely exceptional but that I am very sure I never want to watch again.
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vinnieh said:
You said it perfectly there. Once is enough.
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beetleypete said:
Burstyn is simply magnificent in this wonderful film. Not an easy watch, but then good film-making should never be too comfortable.
Cheers, Pete.
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vinnieh said:
She really broke my heart with her tragic performance. The movie is deliberately uncomfortable and all the better for it.
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dbmoviesblog said:
Great review. I regard this film as the best Aronofsky film to date. It is a miniature masterpiece. It is harrowing and depressing, but also so well-made, so creative, and the use of sound and colour is so thought-provoking. I really wanted Ellen Burstyn to win an Academy Award. And, I am sure you will find a lot of things here as reference points when you see Aronofsky’s Mother!…
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vinnieh said:
It places you right in the damaged mindset of these characters and how drugs completely rips apart what dreams they had. The way that sound was amplified really played into how altering drugs can be on the mind and body.
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The Vern said:
I used to watch this before I went to bed. I loved this movie. That theme is so iconic and the editing is amazing
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vinnieh said:
It’s a movie that never leaves you. It makes a deep impact.
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Mark Walker said:
I have been known to dabble in the pharmaceutical variety of ailments over the years. I’m adversed in both chemical and herbal and I can confirm that the effects of Requiem of a Dream are an effective and sobering account of drug use. I wouldn’t say that I went as far as the characters but I could empathise. This is a fabulous film and still Aronofsky’s best in my eyes.
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vinnieh said:
I admire your honesty Mark. This movie is an extremely lacerating one that is almost impossible to forget. I can still vividly picture lots of it.
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