The kind of film one experiences more than they "enjoy" it.

Rating: 6/10 (13 February 2020)

"Requiem for a Dream" is an adaptation of a novel by Hubert Selby Jr., with a script credited to Selby and director Darren Aronofsky. It basically spins a yarn about the utter horror of lives ruined by drug addiction, focusing on four pathetic characters from Coney Island. Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn) is an aged couch potato, dreaming of TV stardom, who gets hooked on diet pills. Her son Harry (Jared Leto) and his friend Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) are determined to make a big score; Marion (Jennifer Connelly) is Harry's girlfriend.
Right from the start, it's clear that this will not be a conventionally told narrative. Aronofsky leans heavily on quick cuts, and a wealth of imagery. In fact, his film is stylized to the point of utter insanity. It's definitely not to all tastes, and spends so much time having the characters wallow in misery that it inevitably comes as a relief when the film ends. It's that potent. It does take a while to grab hold, but holding it together is Burstyn's incredible performance. This viewer thought that her character was the most sympathetic, even in her delusion. All four leads deliver compelling performances, but hers is truly something special.
The supporting cast features a number of familiar and reliable actors: Christopher McDonald (as a motivational speaker), Louise Lasser, Keith David, Mark Margolis, Ajay Naidu, Peter Maloney, Dylan Baker; Selby appears on screen as a laughing guard.
Selby and Aronofsky play all of this with grim conviction. At no point did this viewer really believe that there might be a light at the end of the tunnel. There are moments in this that are truly bizarre (like hallucinations involving a refrigerator), making the whole film take on the tones of an absurd nightmare.
Not necessarily an "entertaining" film (at least, not in any conventional sense), but it is very effective in what it does.
Six out of 10.