Review of Requiem for a Dream (2000) by Ciaran M — 29 Oct 2013

It's impossible to shake, visually stunning, and emotionally scarring. This is not a fun movie but remains the scariest movie I've ever watched. The message concerning addiction isn't preachy or cliched but simply moves along towards an inevitable conclusion.

The hopes and dreams of Harry and Tyrone in the drug business capitalize on the fact that addicts don't dream of being addicts but of something more only to be left with less than when they started.

Particularly stunning is Ellen Burstyn's performance as Sara Goldfarb, a naive older woman who takes a bullshit call to mean that she will be on television. Disgusted by her current weight and receiving no results from a terrible diet, she becomes addicted to diet pills.

The imagery of her taunting refrigerator and doctor who might as well be a dealer, never looking at her even when her condition screams for medical attention, help make this movie about the destruction of the mind, body, and soul through addiction ring a bitter but true tone.

"Requiem for a Dream" is anything but a fun movie-going experience but is a necessary one for those who like their horror to dig under their skin and dramas to be deeply moving. Aronofsky never tells you to cry, but tears are inevitable.

So is the brilliance in storytelling, especially from a visual aesthetic.