Addicted to Requiem for a Dream

Author's Rating:

Pros: Aronofsky's film is amazing--acting, script, music...it's all perfect.

Cons: Very dark, extremely emotionally draining.

The Bottom Line: 
Requiem for a Dream is much less about the evils of drugs than it is about the problems with being addicted. This is a very powerful movie.

Author's Review
A few weeks ago, my sister and I spoke in depth about the uselessness of the drug related Public Service Announcements and commercials. Despite the use of “real” situations and “real” people they are too sterile and kids can’t possibly get much out of them. Our solution to the situation? Movies—a few in particular. Our thoughts were specifically Trainspotting and Requiem for a Dream, thought there are most certainly others out there nearly as striking as these outstanding films.

Requiem for a Dream, based on a 1978 Hubert Selby Jr. novel by the same name, is a contemporary film set in Coney Island, New York. Two stories simultaneously play out on the screen as mother and son both deal with different facets of addiction. Requiem for a Dream has less to do with the drug than it does with the actual behavior that surrounds it. In fact, viewers never see either main character actually taking their drug. We see their reactions and we see the terrible effect it has on their life. Director Darren Aronofsky manages this by weaving together montages of dilating eyes, thumping bass, and noise. It all works wonderfully together, and in the end Requiem for a Dream is a shocking, thought-provoking film.

Riding the downward spiral are a mother and son. The film opens with Harry Goldfarb (Jared Leto), a twenty-something go-nowhere, taking and pawning his mothers rabbit-eared television for drug money. It’s been going on for years (as evidenced by the pawn shop’s “Goldfarb TV” register). In any case, it’s clear from the start that the younger Goldfarb has problems with drugs—all kinds from coke and heroin to pot. But what isn’t immediately obvious is that his mother Sara also has an addictive personality.

Sara (Ellen Burstyn), a widow, lives by herself in an apartment in Brooklyn Beach and surrounds herself with fond memories of her son and husband. Her son ignores her (save for the television) so she turns to television and coffee for comfort. These are her vices, her addictions, and the personification of her loneliness. But just like her son, life is about to change for the worse. She gets a call to be on television (her apparent life-long dream) and in an effort to fit into her favorite red dress (which is attached to memories of her son and husband) she goes on diet pills.

This is the point at which both stories and lives spin out of control. Harry thinks he is at the top of the world. He, his best friend Tyrone (Marlon Wayans), and his troubled trust fund girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly) enter the drug business in an effort to better their lives. They have dreams and ambition (Marion in particular wants to be a fashion designer) and they see drugs as a way out. Of course, if there has ever been an oxymoron in the world it is that drugs are a way out. Without giving too much away, neither Harry nor Sara finds the salvation that their drugs promise. They both continue using and both continue losing on assorted levels. It is truly a sad, but cautionary, tale.

Requiem for a Dream works on many emotional planes. Of course, it goes without saying that Selby’s story is impeccable. Though even then if it wasn’t for Aronofsky’s direction and vision it wouldn’t have gone anywhere. And then even with that said, had it not been for Burstyn and Leto’s amazing performances in the perfectly cast parallel lead roles the film wouldn’t have functioned properly. This is a strikingly dark and absolutely troubling movie.

A perfectly scripted, perfectly shot, perfectly directed film; Requiem for a Dream is at the same time much, much too gritty for many viewers. While addiction and not drugs are at the center of the story methinks that the visuals are still too realistic for people disgusted by such acts. Like I said, you never see Harry (or his two friends) shooting up or smoking down but the montages show you EXACTLY what they are doing. The music (provided by the composer Clint Mansell and the Kronos Quartet) is integral to each scene—dark, salient, evocative and loud classical music for the 21st century. It is impossible to deny the power of Requiem for a Dream.

Aronofsky makes a point of not hitting folks upside the head about the evils of addiction and drug use. His message (also that, of course, of Selby) is that drug abuse is the problem and not drugs themselves. Requiem for a Dream is the kind of film that sneaks up on you, but resonates long after the final haunting scenes with the hollow bodies that were once Harry and Sara. This film is highly recommended, although incredibly emotionally troubling fare. Kudos to Aronofsky for a film well shot and a story well adapted.