do not see this movie...

Rating: Null/10 (27 May 2001)

Do not see this movie if you thought Julia Roberts really deserved that Oscar. Do not see this movie if you really dig romantic comedies. Do not see this movie if you don't enjoy thinking....or being pushed to the edge and left for dead. Do not see this movie if you don't want to be haunted, moved, sickened, and utterly amazed.
This movie did for smack what even "Trainspotting" failed to do. Although "Trainspotting" had a definite anti-smack message, and some people died, and it was pretty disturbing it pales in comparison to this movie. "Trainspotting" had a few really disturbing scenes, but even they were "prettier" than half of what goes on in "Requiem For A Dream". Renton crawls down a toilet; Harry shoots up into a festering wound and has his arm amputated. And while no one dies physically in "Requiem" (at least no major characters), in the end everyone is left with a large part of their soul missing....not to mention their mind. There are other comparisons and contrasts to be made, but the point is: if you can still think drugs are "cool" or anything other than "mind bending-ly terrifying" after watching this movie you are scary.
Don't get me wrong, I loved "Trainspotting" and I know that it wasn't meant to be what "Requiem" was. But the similarities were too obvious for me to ignore. "Requiem" isn't meant to tell a story as much as "Trainspotting" was. "Requiem" is meant to put the fear of God into you, and it succeeds. And Ellen Burstyn is INCREDIBLE!
Yes, the movie has flaws. But I still haven't seen the "perfect" movie yet, so that can hardly be held against it's brilliance. Darren Aronofvsky is going places. "Pi" was really good, "Requiem" is great, I can't wait to see what's coming next...

So don't watch this movie if it sounds too hard to watch (and it is very hard to watch) and don't watch it if you don't want to be depressed (in a beautiful way). But if you do decide to watch it, don't do it alone.
I don't usually give stars, but just to show how much this movie moved me: 9 out of 10. And it only got 9 because I'm still sane.