gives new meaning to "a true cinematic experience"...

Rating: 9/10 (7 August 2005)

There are many fine montages in "Requiem for a Dream," edited rapidly and done repetitiously in a way that conveys a point explicitly within a few seconds (whereas most movies would take the more conventional, straight exposition route); however, some of these montages whiz by to the point where they lack clarity. For instance, there is a scene early in the film where Harry Goldfarb (Jared Leto with a Brooklyn accent) and Tyrone Love (Marlon Wayans in a non-comedic role) are shown hanging around a closed carnival booth after dark--we see hands pull something from behind tires (and also what appear to be garbage cans) and then rip open clear plastic pouches of cocaine or heroin while car alarms blare over the soundtrack. Maybe I'm not astute enough to realize what is going on (are they stealing and selling car stereos to help finance Marion Silver's (Jennifer Connelly) break into the garment business? what?), but that leads to my overall impression of "Requiem for a Dream": the details of the plot are consistently choppy, but ultimately irrelevant. Like the drug-addled culture it at first panders to, then thunderously condemns, "Requiem" is more about the propulsive powers of addiction than a straightforward narrative--in essence, any narrative that emerges is an outgrowth of the characters' actions, and in the end, things are wrapped up in a bleak, downbeat way (really the only possible conclusion that can be reached). Co-writer/director Darren Aronofsky (who cut his teeth on the stylish but showy black-and-white psychodrama "Pi") uses every stylistic device imaginable to convey the escalating effects of addiction (passages of drug use are signaled by montages of prepping heroin works, rolling blunts, and excited cells in the bloodstream); anyone who has had even a passing infatuation with illegal substances will be surprised at the accuracy with which this is conveyed--Aronofsky's decision to speed up or slow down film, use a fisheye lens, steadicam shots, or even show waves of heat rising from a closed refrigerator, successfully hypnotizes the viewer in a manner as gripping as a dissolved drug. The characters, and the paths they have chosen (including Ellen Burstyn--who really WAS robbed of an Oscar--as a widower who becomes addicted to diet pills) are compelling, misguided, and all too human; their rationale for remaining hooked on the substances that ultimately determine their downfall is a fascinating mix of human loyalty, commitment, and betrayal. Aronofsky's visual attentiveness doesn't detract a bit from the finely-wrought performances on display, and rather complements the characters and heightens our own cinematic high. Its overriding theme aside, "Requiem for a Dream" is an artistic triumph and a masterpiece of cinema that is better experienced than described.