Absolutely heart-stopping!!

Rating: 10/10 (5 July 2008)

Requiem for a Dream is a an Academy Award nominated film directed by Darren Aronofsky and based on Hubert Selby Jr's 1978 novel of the same name. The film revolves around four characters - Sara Goldfarb, her son Harry, and his best friend and girlfriend, Tyron and Marion. It's primary theme revolves around their individual dreams, and how their addiction to drugs imprison them in a dream world of illusion which, later on, mixes with reality, leading to their ruin.
Point one to be noted is that Requiem for a Dream is not a film for the faint hearted. It got a NC-17 rating on its initial limited release in the US. Everything in the movie is made in such a way that it leaves a lasting impression on the viewer. Whether it is the opera-style background score which is more effective than any I've heard in recent times; the camera-work, often hooked up to the characters neck in order to give the viewers a dizzy feeling which is exactly what the leads are feeling in the particular sequence; or the absolutely heart-stopping performance from Ellen Burstyn; Requiem for a Dream is one of the most well made movies of all time. I still find it hard to believe that Ellen Burstyn did not win an Oscar for her role as Sara Goldfarb. You'll have to see it to believe how amazing her portrayal of a woman gone deranged is! Everyone else in this movie give the performance of their lifetime.
You will squirm in your seat when you see what could happen to a human being's arm because of taking drug shots. It will scare you more than you've ever been scared. For any of you who are curious about the effects of drug use, this film is a must see. Like Danny Boyle's Trainspotting, it gives you harsh reality. Be afraid, be very afraid..
10/10. Freaked me out like anything!