Drugs are bad. Okay, we get it.

Rating: 3/10 (7 November 2012)

I am shocked at the rave reviews of this War on Drugs propaganda film. Seriously, what were people thinking? While watching this extended concatenation of clips on a par with the fried eggs "this is your brain on drugs" commercial, I found myself stating out loud at about five different points: "I think that we have established that the moral of this story is: DRUGS ARE BAD."
Way, way, way, over the top, "Requiem for a Dream" offers a long, tedious series of clichés presented in an MTV music video format. On top of that, it was incredibly unpleasant to watch. Even if I happen to agree with many of the gripes aired here--doctors are often pill pushers who don't give a damn about their patients, people in the South (especially those employed by the state) are still racists, drugs are not a viable route to a meaningful life--the presentation was so heavy- handed that I felt like a junior high school student watching a didactic video intended to dissuade me from even thinking about taking drugs.
Actually, it reminded me a lot of a production of similar quality (shown in I believe third grade?) in which we were instructed not to talk to or go anywhere with strange men whom we meet in the park or the school parking lot. I recall that even the ice cream man ended up being some sort of pederast.
People--even critics--found this to be a masterpiece? I am frankly surprised.