The most affecting film of all time?

Rating: 8/10 (31 August 2001)

Requiem for a Dream is not a film I will be watching again. Not because I didn't find it absoloutely stunning, both visually and psychologically. I did. It's because of those reasons that I will not be watching it again.

Some films touch you in a way that the standard Hollywood blockbuster yawn-fests can't. They ground you, force you to take a look at your life, and the lives of others around you. They show you what is going on in the world, a world which many of us have been protected from all our lives. Requiem for a Dream is one of these rare movies.
From the claustrophobic opening sequence, to the horrific finale, the film takes you on a journey that you will never completely recover from. It shows us the lives of four addicts who want to become something better, but merely become shadows of their former selves.
The acting is simply breathtaking. At times, it feels like you are watching a documentary because of the impressive casts realistic performances. Jared Leto is fast becoming one of my favourite actors, taking roles which fight against the ordinary. His Hollywood good looks (thankfully hidden in this film) mean that he could become the new Leo Dicaprio or (God Forbid) Ben Affleck if he wanted to, but his roles in Fight Club, American Psycho and now this show his true acting abilities.
Ellen Burstyn is the real revelation, though. She is absoloutely astounding the gameshow-obsessed mother who wants nothing more than to fit into a little red dress for a TV appearence. Her scenes with Jared Leto brought a tear to my eye everytime - the two had a real connection.

If I have one gripe about this film, it's Aronofsky's complex and much-heralded use of camera angles. There is no denying that this man is a technical genius, and there are times when these camera shots are genuinely effective. But most of the time they distract from his amazing cast. The film works much better when he simply takes a break and lets the superb acting take precedence.
Like I said at the start of this review, I will not be watching Requiem for a Dream again. My one viewing of it is enough to last me a life time. But everyone from fifteen upwards should be forced to watch this film once, if only to highlight the awful price of addiction.