Requiem for a Dream

Rating: 9/10 (1 November 2003)

It hasn't been easy, watching this Requiem. Aronofsky's second major film is, perhaps, one of the most gruesome stories about solitude and addiction, a shattering first-time experience which may well leave you stranded.
Watching it several times has somewhat shifted my original point of view, mainly because there are only so many times you can feel surprised by the brute force of the film. There is no need to put this in unclear terms, Requiem for a Dream is mainly a visual and sensory experience. It's extremely immersive and while some of Aronofsky's techniques may feel gimmicky after a while, the amazing soundtrack by Clint Mansell will keep you at dazzling heights all along. To be frank, I never understood how the exhilarating score just got overlooked by big award ceremonies; its value cannot be disputed now, as many bits of it have been overused of late by so many clips trying to come off as dramatic and intense - which they generally do, because the music is vibrant.
For a while, I believed Requiem to be one of the best films ever made. I have since refined this opinion a bit, because such things are bound to happen after a number of viewings if the film is as blunt as this. Yet this is not to be taken in as a negative aspect, but more of a necessary evil. Requiem delivers its messages on several levels, the most obvious one being related to addiction issues. It's worth emphasizing that it doesn't boil down to a matter of drugs, because of the oh-so-many faces of addiction, physical and emotional, to narcotics and emotions. I do feel more affected though by the mesmerizingly sad story of solitude, with Ellen Burstyn leading the way most elegantly. To my mind, Requiem manages to convey this loneliness better than any other work of film I've seen, and its impressions are lasting.
For anyone watching the movie for the first time, just be prepared for a rough ride which may well prove to be extremely rewarding. But I wouldn't necessarily go in a second time for the sheer pleasure of it; Requiem just isn't that kind of film, which however does not diminish its merits as it remains one of the best movies of the year - and not only.