Harrowing but incredible

Rating: 10/10 (19 August 2001)

I saw an amazing film on DVD over the weekend. I am still a bit shell shocked because it had such a profound effect on me. I haven't seen a film like it for many years.
Requiem for a Dream has to be one of the finest films I have seen for a long time. Basically a story about drugs, it follows to storylines; one a lonely widowed mother gets invited to appear on a game show and tries to lose weight so she can fit in her 20 year old red dress; the other, her drug addled son and his friends try to crawl their way up the drug food chain to become small time dealers to make their fortune.
To be sure, this film is not a pleasant experience. Humour is hard to come by in this gritty, visceral, trippy 100 minutes.
The mother resorts to diet pills to get thin, and in the process becomes addicted and starts to go slowly mad; in her fevered mind the fridge won't stop attacking her, and she is addicted to a daytime television speaker/game show host who she slowly allows into her subconsious where reality and fantasy begin to blur.
Our little drug cartel starts off promisingly but after one failed deal the spiral of tragedy begins; they need to feed their own habit as well as sell the product and they are a group of 20 somethings with no self control.
Director Darren Aronofsky uses every trick in the book to pull the visual feel of each scene - split screen is used to dazzlingly good effect and the sets and locations used exude a warmth that hide any possible budgetary shortcomings that I thought would be evident with this film.
Ellen Burstyn plays the mother with harrowing subtly and finesse; it is easy to see why she was nominated for an Oscar for this standout performance. Jared Leto and Jennifer Connelly are both very good as the drug addled couple trying to make it big - they are very convincing. The supporting role by Marlon Wayans is also very good but not given the full opportunity to shine like the other three.
Requiem for a Dream is a movie that will leave a lasting effect on you. 10 out of 10.