A harrowing depiction of the addiction process

Rating: Null/10 (6 December 2000)

Requiem for a Dream, the latest film from Darren Aronofsky, the acclaimed director of 1998's Pi, can be described with a word that is not often used in conjunction with today's film offerings - that is, groundbreaking.
Aronofsky, a meticulous director, uses distinctively innovative techniques to set the tone and convey the themes within this dark, beautiful, complex depiction of the nature of addiction. Aronofsky makes use of split screens, revolving cameras, extreme close-up, distorted angles, blasting sound, and repetitive symbols, all in an effort to convey the actual experience of the substance user under the influence. The film is a visceral experience, unrelenting in its portrayal of each character's descent into their own personal abyss.
The film focuses on three main characters: the Jewish mother from Brooklyn, Sara Goldfarb, played by Ellen Burstyn, the son, Harry, played by Jared Leto, and the girlfriend, Marion, played by Jennifer Connelly. Mom is addicted first to television, and as a result of a proposed appearance on her favorite show, decides to lose weight with the aid of diet drugs, prescribed by an unethical physician. Harry and Marion are fond of heroin, but they will settle for something amphetamine in a pinch. All three start out as casual users, but as they persist with their addictions, each character's environment deteriorates and they all sink deeper into unreality. Aronofsky portrays this by having the characters interact with each other in a relatively normal way at first, focusing on the familial relationship between mother and son, and the romantic one between Harry and Marion.
The early scenes are brightly lit and pleasant to watch, with many shots of the gorgeous Leto and Connelly lying head-to-head, looking remarkably alike, awash in drugs and love. Even the screen-wide use of the symbols and sounds of drug use seem exhilarating and exciting at first, and it is not until the viewer is bombarded with them relentlessly that they become uncomfortable to watch and hear. Aronofsky splits the film into three parts, subtitled Summer, Fall, and Winter. The seasons change along with the characters, and as time progresses, the characters split from each other, each advancing more deeply into their own addiction and despair. Their individual descents parallel each other, which Aronofsky represents by quick cutting from one character's current predicament to the others, all the scenes infused with garish colors, murky lighting, and disquieting music. At one point Aronofsky unites the characters by showing the visual similarities between the bloodshot, bruised, and terrified eyes of the mother, the heavily made-up, smeared and bleary eyes of Marion, and the infected, bloody and blackened wound that Harry grows on his inner arm.
The performances in this film are very strong, especially from Ellen Burstyn, as a perfectly realized suburban junkie. Her character is really the sympathetic one, caught not in a desire to get high, but just to be a little more attractive. Her plight is the most saddening. Also notable in his role is Marlon Wayans, playing against type in a non-comedic role as Harry's drug buddy.
In a conventional drug film, the addict usually dies, as a morality play, or to accomplish some finality for the storyline. Aronofsky refuses to go for the easy way out. The last twenty minutes of this film possess some of the most harrowing footage I have ever seen, and there is no respite for the viewer or the characters.