Powerful, Compelling, and Extremely well Directed.

Rating: 10/10 (26 April 2005)

I consider myself to be a picky, if not downright mean movie critic. Many times I find myself not being to find even the slightest good comment about a film, however, Requiem for a Dream is a movie that I cannot laud highly enough. The film chronicles and parallels the drug use and over indulgence of the four main characters and then continues to culminate into a spine-chilling, depressing, yet enormously powerful climax. There are few movies that after the credits roll I am stuck in my chair, unable to process what I have just witnessed, and Requiem for a Dream accomplished this task magnificently. Nothing about the film rings false whatsoever.
The acting is great, the dialogue is real, the story is believable... Ellen Burstyn has an injustice performed on her career when she did not win the Oscar for her performance as Sara Goldfarb. Jared Leto and Jennifer Connelly managed to truly create a chemistry that made viewers feels the poignancy of the deterioration of their relationship. Finally, Marlon Wayans was surprising in a role that required the utmost seriousness of his character.
Perhaps the only thing I can say about Requiem for a Dream that is not positive is my feeling about Darren Aranofsky's use of the split screens. While I admit that they do not detract from the movie, they do not add to it either. Thus, in my opinion, anytime a device neither detracts nor adds it is best to go with a straightforward approach. Otherwise, Aranofsky's cinematography is beautiful and often times allows the viewer to feel slightly more emerged into the film than they would feel otherwise. Overall, my final say is, "Bravo", to Darren Aranofsky and the entire cast of Requiem for a Dream. Truly, in my humble opinion, a masterpiece has been created; 50 years from now the film industry will look back upon it and agree with me.