"Fuck. I need a rush."
Every time I come across an exciting, engrossing or in other ways interesting film, I tend to do a lot of research about the director of said movie, which often times leads to me watching several of his or her other movies, in hopes of finding something just as satisfying as that original movie. When a good friend of mine introduced me to Darren Aronofsky through his third directorial feature "The Fountain", I initially didn't think too much of it. As time passed by though, its complex theories, beautiful visuals, spellbinding soundtrack and emotional performances grew on me, and I've been a big fan of everything he's done ever since. I now own The Fountain, The Wrestler and Black Swan on BluRay, and the last one of those is one of my all time favourites. That being said, it might seem weird to a lot of people that I hadn't seen Requiem for a Dream, one of Aronofsky's biggest successes as of yet, until very recently. The main reason for this is that I, being the movie-research maniac that I am, had heard a lot of mixed things about it, and honestly, I now fully understand why a lot of people are having a hard time recommending this movie to others. Requiem for a Dream isn't bad at all, not by any stretch of the imagination, but I am willing to swear on a huge pile of bibles that I've never seen a movie more depressive and dark than this one.
Requiem for a Dream takes place on Cony Island, New York, and centers around four characters who're all dealing with some kind of addiction. Harry Goldfarb, played by Jared Leto, this movie's main protagonist, suffers from an increasingly demanding addiction to drugs like cocaine, heroin and weed, and so does his best friend Tyrone C. Love, played by Marlon Wayans, and Harry's girlfriend Marlon Silver, played by Jennifer Connelly. Additionally, Harry's mother, Sara Goldfarb, played by Ellen Burstyn, becomes more and more addicted to her diet pills as well as her television set as the movie progresses. In the beginning though, all of our four main characters seem to be in a pretty good place. They're all experiencing success with their individual goals and projects, and the best seems to be ahead of them. However, as their addictions grow stronger, all of them suddenly find themself on a steep, spiralling descend into complete and utter misery, and along the way, themes like broken dreams, shattered illusions and the loss of innocence comes into play, and ultimately becomes the center of this unforgiving and gruesomely realistic depiction of what living with a drug addiction truly is like.
One of the persons who warned me about the harsh nature of this movie was my dad, and even though he quite possibly doesn't have a clue, I respect his opinions immensely, and not just when it comes to movies. He described Requiem for a Dream as being a very heavy movie to watch, and now that I've seen it, I couldn't agree more. It's a methodical movie that slowly but surely builds up intensity, and even though it has one or two moments that'll make you smile faintly, mostly thanks to Marlon Waynes' character, 99 % of its content is incredibly harsh to watch, and sometimes even flat out depressing.
However, the incredible thing about Aronofsky's second feature film is that no matter how much you want to, you simply can't look away from this movie once you've started watching it. There's something surreal about the way Requiem for a Dream is crafted that kept me glued to the screen from beginning to end, and part of the reason for this lies in the way it's edited. I read on the trivia page on IMDb that most movies have something like 600-700 cuts, but that this movie has more than 2000, and I don't find that hard to believe at all. A lot of these cuts come from some incredible sequences that appear throughout the movie; sequences that consists of several close ups of different things such as a belt being strapped around an arm, a needle filled with heroin partially dissolved in blood being inserted into another arm, lines upon lines of cocaine disappearing into rolled up dollar bills, weed being rolled into joints, shifting eyes, expanding pupils, and so on. These sequences add an incredible amount of atmosphere to the movies, and the fast, twitchy way they're put together create a realistic depictiong of how it is to live a fast and nervous life that never goes any further than to the next fix, in other words; the life of a drug addict.
Another thing that immediately struck me when I watched this movie for the first time, is how controlled and believable the main actors make their individual characters. I personally believe that Jared Leto delivers the finest performance of his career in this movie, and Jennifer Connelly does a very good job as well. Both characters meet unbelievably sad and emotionally devastating faits; Connelly's being the worst of all the character's in my opinion, and the final moments of the movie are surprisingly heartbreaking because of the way these two characters have bonded throughout the movie. Tyrone C. Love, Marlon Wayans' character, might be considered the weakest of the four characters by most audiences, but I personally found his character very interesting and relatable, because of the way his humble goals and ideal way of living is depicted. However, arguing against the fact that Sara Goldfarb, Ellen Burstyn's character, completely and utterly steals the show would be foolish. The most interesting part about her character is the way her addiction differs from the other characters', and she actually becomes an overexaggerated and satiric yet still extremely potent example of how the media, growing old, being lonely and losing loved ones can damage a person's mental stability. Burstyn's performance is shockingly realistic and relatable, and it wouldn't surprise me if characters like the one she displays in this movie exist in real life.
All throughout the movie, one of the most effective and intimate soundtracks of all time is played in the background. You've probably heard it a million times before, and you might be surprised that such an epic score originates from this movie, seeing as how depressive and methodical it is. It's not often that something as "minor" as the soundtrack is my favourite part of an entire movie, but in the case of Requiem for a Dream, that's exactly the case. Sadly though, I have to admit that I probably wouldn't have cared half as much about 75 % the characters in this movie as I did, had it not been for said soundtrack. I honestly didn't feel that connected to Harry, Tyrone and Marion as it were, seeing as their characters are more interesting and well acted/created than they are relatable and emotionally captivating. Additionally, as I'm writing this review, only a few hours after seeing the movie, I've almost lost that lasting feeling that sticks with you for days after seeing a truly great movie for the very first time. My conclusion to this is that Requiem for a Dream benefits greatly from one of the best and most iconic soundtracks ever put on screen, but at the same time, I don't think the movie would have been as effective as it is without said score. Requiem for a Dream truly is a great movie, it just doesn't make the cut as one of the all time greats in my opinion. A link to the soundtrack can be found here.
Nevertheless, Darren Aronofsky has created one of, if not the most captivating and breathtaking depictions of the way drug abuse and other addictions can affect the human mind and soul. Watching Requiem for a Dream is one of the saddest and most gruesome experiences I've had in terms of fiction; be it book, movie, theater or comic book, yet I wouldn't have missed it for anything in the world. It's a powerful, twisted and sometimes even demonic picture that doesn't leave any room for happy endings or gentle pats on the head, and it's definitely a must see for anyone who loves incredible film making and atmospheric, realistic character depiction. However, If you only like movies where the hero comes out on top and where love defeats all evil in the end, this movie might not be for you, and that's a big underexaggeration. I mentioned in the beginning of this review that I already own three of Aronofskys movies, and now that I've finally watched it, I'll probably end up buying Requiem for a Dream on BluRay and add it to my collection sometime down the line. (5/6)
Requiem for a Dream IMDb page here
Requiem for a Dream trailer here
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