The necessity of a dream

Rating: 9/10 (28 May 2020)

This is one of the most brutal and shocking movies I've ever seen since it describes drug's impacts in an exorbitant way. When assuming heroine or any drug the first time, I'm sure that everyone thinks that it would be the first and last time, but this movie opens our eyes about the consequences that drug dependence can have. In particular, each character's conclusion represents a possible consequence of drug dependence. It may look exaggerate, but it is not.
Aronofsky is one of the directors I appreciate more. He has the capacity to establish an authentic relationship between characters and spectators. Everyone who watches this film suffers with Harry and Marion, even if we are not drug dependent. Everything is so dramatic, but I want to focus on my favourite character from the movie.
Sara's scenes are really breath-taking. Her character is not only about drug dependence. It is about loneliness, an empty life without purpose. What is she living for? We can't expect from a genuine old woman like her to become just an annoying blabbermouth who spends her days talking carelessly with neighbours. She needs to escape from her life, she needs a refuge: the TV is the only weapon she can use to fight her emptiness. The red-dress dream is just a necessity for her to have something to think about in her life. But because of her innocence, she becomes soon a media terrorism victim. I know this is not the point of the movie, but sometimes people feel alone, insecure, underappreciated, and the outside world (here the TV) responds just by offering you the easiest way to escape, and the easiest way is tremendously dangerous. Sara's decline really touched and shocked me, more than other characters', and this is due to Ellen Burstyn's outstanding performance. Also Jared Leto and Jennifer Connelly's interpretations are remarkable.
On balance, I think that the strength of this movie is the empathy which is amplified by a brilliant direction and a sublime soundtrack. When I hear that music, I still get goose bumps after many years.