This film is as beautiful as it is disturbing, that is the main message.

Rating: 10/10 (22 August 2012)

In requiem for a dream the four character's lives descend into chaos and distress because of their addictions to drugs, three of the character's descent is due to their own actions. Those characters are Marion, Harry and Tyrone played by Jennifer Connelly, Jared Leto and Marlon Wayans. Jared Leto was in American Psycho(Paul Allen), Fight Club(Angel Face) and this film, all of these films were released in 1999-2000. Leto then went on to star in Daid Fincher's Panic Room with Jodie Foster and Forst Whitaker in 2002. Prior to his three film appearance in 99-00 he starred in Urban Legend a scream styled thriller also starring Rebecca Gayheart(Scream 2) Tara Reid(American Pie) and Robert Englund( A nightmare on elm street.
That film was average but it gave him a decent start to the film industry. The visuals in this film are superior to many films you will ever see or have seen. Darren Aronofsky shows the characters pupils dilating after they experiment with drugs, he depicts the entire process the effect a drug has on the human body. He shows step by step how the characters take the drugs, with syringe shots, bodily cell shots, the opiate injection scenes are brilliantly shown which is exactly what a viewer would want to see in a film of this genre. There are similar shots in this film when compared to Trainspotting(1996). There are rapid motion shots in both of these films with the character's and hospital scenes.
However on the contrary, Danny Boyle's film is delivered on a more amusing tone then requiem is. Requiem has a more somber tone regarding the consequences/toll that the character's experimentation with drugs result in. But the despondent feeling that requiem leaves on each viewer shouldn't diminish the enjoyment and concept of the film. The film is extremely forthright as is trainspotting as to the exhilarating and horrifying fluctuations of incessant drug use. The real differentiation between the two films is the culmination of each conclusion. Trainspotting leaves the viewer with an uplifted cleansed feeling towards their outlook on life since Ewan Mcregregor's character Mark decides to abandon his life as a carefree drug user and move on to a more significant lifestyle that he deserves. Severing the annoyance of pesky acquaintances prodding him for drugs or support when they should be dealing with own priorities then relying on someone who is a mate as they state it in the film as the film was from the UK and is set in London.
Requiem is set in the area of Coney island New York. Ellen Burstyn and Jared Leto's character have brooklyn accents in the film. Whereas Jennifer's and tyrone's character's have regular voices. Both these films are detailed and psychological in the vignettes they show of the characters drug use and the aftereffects of their usage. Overall both films are classics of their genre. There aren't many films that focus on the positive and negative affects of drug usage as splendidly as these two films do. The majority of the character's in both films survive their behaviour which is pretty realistic.
For someone to actually succumb to their drug use involves heavy abuse of very potent substances. In trainspotting the four characters Mark, Begbie, Spud and Sick Boy diverge from each other at the end of the film. They finalize a scag deal and split up to pursue the rest of their lives solely. In requiem each character comes out of the abysmal experience of drug usage as well but for both films their next odyssey is unexplored. In Trainspotting Mark's Journey is clearly laid out by Boyle but in requiem Aronofsky doesn't delve into the character's next pursuits. Aronofsky concentrates on the fact that all four people have conquered their drug use and will likely go on to live more fulfilling lives in every aspect. With that being expounded both films end on a relatively high note.
These two films are among my favorites and they both leave an indelible mark on the perspective of drug use in real life and in film. Since these two films were released I haven't seen a film that has covered the same terrain has these two do. The impact of both films is undeniable because the candor shines through in both films whether you entirely adore both films or have some qualms about the film's real messages. All in all, I believe these films deserve the recogniton they've received from both the critics and audiences worldwide. Kudos to both directors for stepping outside the boundaries of what is expected in a film and giving audiences an insightful vision to a world that is full of ecstacy and agony.