Perhaps the most visual film since Eisenstein.

Rating: 10/10 (13 February 2001)

It is an insult to filmgoers that 'Requiem For A Dream' has only received one Academy Award nomination (2000). This film utilises every feature that makes the medium unique, following in the footsteps of Eisenstein, but adding sound features that he never had the chance to explore. Even if you ignore the excellent dialogue, the succession of visual images and the heroic performance of the entire cast moves the story forward with the agonising precision of a dentist's drill. Like 'Pi' before it, this film will haunt your nightmares as well as your waking thoughts; the sombre score and chilling images remain with you long after the lights come on. Films like 'Requiem For A Dream' give heart to those who had despaired of American cinema, and remind us that for every twenty abysmal blockbusters that we squirm through there is one masterpiece that will be treasured long after the others are forgotten.