A Reason To Get Up In The Morning

Rating: 9/10 (27 May 2006)

Incredibly powerful and sobering, "Requiem for a Dream" is one of strongest anti-drug movies ever made. The lives of four people, a mother and her only son, a beautiful artistic young woman, and a charming young man, are destroyed by addiction in a parable of illicit and licit drug use. This extraordinary film by young director (and co-writer) Darren Aronofsky shows how Americans crush their positive energies with chemical crutches be they heroin or little blue pills prescribed by a doctor.
Ellen Burstyn won an Academy Award (2000) for her performance of sad Sara Goldfarb who sinks deeper into delusion about being on her favorite infomercial TV program as she gets hooked on prescribed medications. Her son Harry (Jared Leto), his buddy Tyrone (Marlon Wayans), and girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly) hope to get rich off just one more score but get hooked and watch helplessly as their lives disintegrate.
The direction is slick and arty with interesting visual effects that create a fast and furious pace that mirrors the drug rushes that sequence the film. In little over an hour and a half we witness a complete meltdown. The acting is superb from start to finish and even supporting roles such as Louise Lasser's Ada, Sara's long-suffering friend, add depth and dimension to this tragic tale. A must see but not for the faint-hearted and don't expect a typical Hollywood happy ending.