Mesmerizing!

Rating: 10/10 (4 December 2000)

CAUTION: MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD- NOTHING MAJOR BUT IF YOU WANT TO GO IN FRESH, DON'T READ
REQUIEM FOR A DREAM is a masterpiece. It is the most harrowing, unforgettable look at drug abuse ever put on film. It makes TRAINSPOTTING and DRUGSTORE COWBOY look pale by comparison. Ellen Burstyn delivers the best performance of anyone this year as a old housewife who convinces herself she'll be on TV and takes diet pills to lose weight. Her slow descent into madness is unforgettable. Jared Leto is also amazing as her son- a hard drug addict who along with his friend, Marlon Wayans, comes up with a plan to make money. Leto's final fait is graphic, unforgettable and deeply disturbing. Then there is Jennifer Connelly- the most underrated actress in the movies. She starts out a beautiful, sweet, naive girlfriend of Leto's, and by the end she has turned into a hardcore addict, putting on sex shows for perverts to get her fix. The film is brilliantly well made- the fast-forward montages, and extreme close-ups probably show us what its like to be on drugs better then any film before it. This truly is a masterwork, by a talented new director. 10/10