heavy-handed drugs fable

Rating: 5/10 (4 March 2004)

A useful comparison could probably be made between 'Requiem' and the far superior 'Trainspotting'. Both are based on novels and both attempt a no-holds barred depiction of the consequences of drug abuse.
'Trainspotting' delivers a forceful message with a cunning collection of comedic set-pieces interspersed with some of the grim realities of urban squalor. The use of comedy and the film's refusal to patronise or preach both lend weight to its impact. Viewers are left to make up their own minds and most will be left in no doubt that heroin use is no laughing matter.
'Requiem' adopts a more hard-line approach. The viewer is shown a dark descent into oblivion, without a single spark of humour to light the impending gloom. Its characters start off impossibly beautiful and wind up horrifically ugly. All subtlety is lost in favour of driving home the message that drugs will rob you of your dreams and your dignity as well as your dosh.
I respect 'Requiem' for its uncompromising stance but I fear that in telling only one side of the story it fails to provide a balanced account of drug use. It deals in grotesque caricatures and while these provide a heightened sense of drama, they bear little relation to reality and so I feel the film's message is lost.