Requiem For A Dream - Film Review
Requiem For A Dream is directed by Darren Aronofsky and it's based on the novel by Hubert Selby Jr. who also co-wrote the screenplay alongside Aronofsky. The story follows four characters with drug addicitons and it's about their spiral into chaos in pursuit of happiness. Harry, played by Jared Leto, his girlfriend Marion, played by Jennifer Connelly, and his best friend Tyrone, played by Marlon Wayans, come up with a plan to sell heroin and make enough money to live on, meanwhile Harry's mother Sara, played by Ellen Burstyn, develops an addiciton to perscription medication in an attempt to lose weight for a televsion game show.
Darren Aronofsky's other work includes The Fountain, The Wrestler, Black Swan, Noah and most recently mother! so it's a mixed bag with him but this was an undeniably well made film, it's not an easy watch by any means, especially the second half, but it's definitely effective. It's extremely over the top and has been described as a contemporary Reefer Madness by RedLetterMedia which I think hits the nail on the head but putting aside it's skewed message about drug addiction it's an extremely well made and entertaining movie. It's depressing, there's a sense of hopelessness and it made me feel dirty, well done Darren Aronofsky!
It's a very well written film, you get a great sense of each of these characters, their relationships and their motives, and it's emotionally impactful. It's extremely well filmed, Aronofsky's direction was very interesting and very effective, it's a bit of headache in moments but it works! As the narrative becomes more intense so does Aronofsky's direction and you feel like you're suffering with the characters, you're losing you mind with them and it's an extremely unpleasant experience. The score was fantastic, Clint Mansell's Lux Aeterna composition is so effective that it was pretty much all the film needed music-wise!
The performances were all fantastic, Jared Leto's our protagonist and he was excellent in the role, there's an innocence to the character and he embodies it perfectly. I can't remember Marlon Wayans ever being in anything good and quite frankly I consider the Wayans' name dirt given the amount of shit they've produced! Here, however, he was great, how do you go from this to Scary Movie 10 or whatever! Jennifer Connelly was great as well, I really felt for her character and Ellen Burstyn's performance was next level shit, she delivers the best performance by far, she was fantastic in the role and it wasn't easy to watch at all.
Requiem For A Dream is a great movie and I'd definitely recommend to hardcore film fans, they'll appreciate this film as the work of art it is and enjoy Aronofsky's unconvential direction. I would not recommend it to casual film fans though, it's a depressing film and it leaves you on a depressing note so if you're looking for a casual viewing experience or something fun and upbeat you need to look elsewhere! I enjoyed the first half on both accounts but the second half was more just appreciation on a filmmaking level, I'm gonna give Requiem For A Dream 8.3/10, it's an interesting piece but it's kind of offensive to drug addicts, I'm furious!
What did you think of Requiem For A Dream?