Immensely Powerful

Rating: Null/10 (15 August 2001)

Cinema in general is rapidly becoming cheaper and more money driven. The average film goers always head towards the movies that seem to have high budgets, big stars, and lots of advertising. I don't remember ever hearing of Requiem for a Dream until the Oscar nominations came out. It garnered an NC-17 rating from the MPAA, which led Arinovsky to make an edited R rated version and an unrated Directors Cut, which is what I saw.
This may be the most powerful film I've ever seen. It kept me glued to the screen, despite the graphic and heart stopping visuals on screen. There was actually one scene where I had to close my eyes, in a sickening moment when a junkie pushes a needle into his infected arm. I was pretty shaken by the time the credits began to roll. Every little tidbit that makes films great was done with perfection here.
Darrin Arinovsky has proven to be a fully formed master at direction. Everything he does here increases the film's power immensely, such as split screens, different color hues, and surrealistic hallucinatory sequences. His way of showing a person using drugs with the extreme closeups is particularly effective.
The sound in this film is incredible. Something that rarely gets mentioned about this film is the score, which is dark, tragic, and haunting, creating a perfect atmosphere for the events that take place.
The acting is truly amazing. Jennifer Connelly and Jared Leto aren't the type you'd expect in their roles, but they perform very well. Its easy to forget that you're watching Marlin Wayons in a serious role, he is surprisingly good. Ellen Burstyn is simply phenominal in her role, giving the year's best performance. Watching these four people rapidly deteriorate into miserable, pathetic junkies is depressing, but heartfelt.
I'd personally recommend that anyone 11 or over should watch this film. Its the type of movie that should be shown in middle schools and high schools as an anti-drug video. It shows how far into the gutter you might go if you try drugs. A truly great film.
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