A supreme directional achievement. A sublime outstanding breathtaking film. It breaks you into pieces with no mercy.

Rating: 10/10 (27 October 2013)

Requiem for a Dream constitutes the most amazing 100 minutes you will ever spend in your life watching a film. When someone asks me in what place does Requiem belong, I answer "right there next to the Modern Marvels of the World".
Imagine if you will a mental beating the kind of ancient Roman's did on their slaves, relentlessly and endlessly until forcing their submission. That is exactly what this movie does to you. I have yet to meet someone who has been able to stand RFAD without giving a minimal sign of grief. Requiem is the epitome of independent filmmaking: daring, crude, merciless, realistic and just when you think it will cut you a break, it keeps on pounding your mind non-stop. If you expect this film to take a pause and go easy on you for a minute or two, then you guessed wrong because it simply won't. It will go hard and harder and harder and just when you thought it cannot go any further, it will... until it breaks you down.
Much has been said about the subject, the performances and the soundtrack which by all means are sublime. However I believe Requiem greatest achievement made by Aronofsky. There isn't a single wasted scene in this film. Simply put, there isn't a single meaningless scene all-though the 6000 seconds, which is the reason why at the end of the movie one ends up so mentally exhausted. Yes the camera angles are different and quirky, but it is undeniable that they match the pace of each character in such a perfect way, that even the viewer asks for it as every minute goes by.
Jennifer Connelly is at her very best here. Forget ABM or any other movie in her resume. This is Connelly on top of her game, which by all means is equal on any other laureate actress such as Isabelle Adjani or Meryl Streep. Her character is perhaps the most human and victimized, so it is easy to feel sorry for her during the scene in which she talks to Harry over the phone, will getting herself ready for Big Tim's party. However it is the bathtub scene the one that resumes in about 10 seconds the fate of her character and the intensity of Connelly's portrayal.
However make no mistake: in term of performances, the film belongs to Ellen Burstyn. I won't lie, she begins a little slow (as a matter of fact all pieces of the film start a bit slow), but quickly gains strength and becomes the most powerful performance I have ever seen, period. Burstyn must have received every single award known for her portrayal of Sara Goldfarb, even the Nobel Prize. The monologue scene breaks even the strongest cold-hearted people you can imagine. Impossible to shed a tear during of after it.
Jared Leto and Marlon Wayans are equally superb, although one level underneath Connelly and thousands below Burstyn. Fortunately, they get great aid from Aronfsky's direction and of course the chilling script, both of them empower and upgrading the value of their performances.
Then you have the soundtrack: as simple and plain as you can imagine, yet as powerful and haunting as any major soundtrack you can remember. If I was to rate the importance of every element of the film, it would be #1 The Direction, #2 Ellen Burstyn and #3 The Soundtrack, with like I said Connelly coming real close at a #4.
This film is so powerful, even some of the minor characters are memorable and have unforgettable moments. Keith David's Big Tim's subtle laugh when he answers the phone has stayed in my mind for years, just like Dylan Baker's brief appearance as a southern Doctor.
I have yet to figure how this film has not received the accolades it deserves as of 2013, and it has been continuously overlooked in every single Top 10 greatest films of all time list. Aronofsky may have got lots of glory thanks to The Wrestler and Black Swan, but believe me it is Requiem for a Dream the film that should and will cement his name in history not only as a filmmaker but as an artist.
Oh and by the way, there should be way to rate this film 20 out of 10.
Finally, if you still want to do drugs after watching this film, you are simply no good to this world and understand nothing about life.
10/10
10 out of 10