Requiem for a Dream

All I can say about this movie is that it's amazing.

Ok, that's not really all I can say, because the word amazing can be applied to so many things--a sunset, creme brulee, a bad pileup on the highway, passing a class that you thought you'd fail--that a little more explanation is necessary so that you understand how this movie is amazing. Because to call a movie about 3 young people and one old woman who all get hooked on drugs "amazing" does require a little explanation.

I rented Requiem for a Dream because I heard the soundtrack and loved it. It's haunting, it's somber and it stays with you. The same could be said for the movie itself. The images in the film get under your skin and won't let you go, and that's what makes it so powerful.

Director Darren Aronofsky does an incredible job setting up the shots in the movie. One of the most obvious things he does is to shoot from the perspective of the characters, so that the viewer gets caught up in what it means to be addicted. However, in addition to this general technique, he has several specific shots that are just brilliant. One that keeps recurring is a series of quickly flashed images--a pile of powder, a pupil dilating, a rolled-up dollar bill, the inside of the body at the injection site. Each of these images by itself is crystal-clear and beautifully photographed, but when flashed in sequence, they portray the fleetingness of a high off drugs.

Another thing he does to great effect is use split screens when filming two characters interacting with each other. This happens mostly at the beginning, and the most poignant use of it was when he filmed Harry and Marion lying together, telling each other how beautiful and special the other one is. It would be a romantic scene, except we realize that they're so high that the words don't actually mean anything. And Aronofsky does a fantastic job of portraying this by splitting the screen; we see them move into the other's space, but in reality, they're alone, even when together.

The other scene that is just fantastic is the ending sequence, in which it quickly flashes from one character to the next, showing each character's demise. The movement of the scenes suggests a spiral from which there is no escape--a particularly visual representation of the horrors of drug addiction.

In addition to the cinematography, there were several aspects of the plot that made this more than just a movie about the dangers of young kids using drugs. The most significant thing is that the movie parallels Harry's life and his mother's life, and how both of them are caught up in this downward spiral. This adds depth to the movie, and shows how drug addiction comes in many forms, not just needles and powder. Ellen Burstyn does an amazing job as Harry's mother; she definitely deserved the Oscar nomination, if not more.

For me, the most poignant moment of the film came about halfway through. I was a little apprehensive going into it, because the Netflix blurb said "Not for the sqeamish" (which is true, by the way, but really only applies to the end). I was waiting for all sorts of horrible images, and although there had been plenty of drug use, nothing horrible had happened yet. In fact, it looked like Harry and Marion and Tyrone were about the get their life back on track. And then it hit me--this movie is a requiem. It is a lament for the dead. There is no hope for a better life--this film is mourning the passing of the hopes and dreams that these characters have, whether it's the dream to be on television, the dream to be loved by your mother, or the dream to open a clothing shop. These dreams are dead.

The film has an NC-17 rating, primarily, I think, because of a particularly graphic sex scene near the end. But when I have teenagers, I honestly might consider showing them Requiem for a Dream. The most heartbreaking scene comes at the very end, after Marion has just done all sorts of demeaning things to get drugs; she curls up with the drugs and goes to sleep, just like a little child would curl up with a teddy bear. The horror and unbelievable sadness of that image, along with the physical trauma that all the characters go through, will stick with viewers and haunt them, acting as a more effective deterrent to drug use than anything else I can think of.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5