An unflinching, dark, gritty exploration into the life of an addict...

Rating: 10/10 (2 September 2017)

An unflinching, dark, gritty exploration into the life of an addict with no hope and no positivity. It still holds up as perfect example of excellent film making. Every shot is purposeful and conveys the emotional impact of the situations on the characters. No second is wasted.
The pacing builds with the film, beginning with long, slow scenes and becoming quicker cut as the tension builds. The soundtrack mirrors this progression, starting with orchestral pieces and moving into more aggressive electronic sounds. After about an hour of the slow build the film then just repeatedly punches you in the gut for the remaining 30 minutes and leaves me, for one, feeling empty inside after and I love it. This is what cinema should do make you feel.
The themes of dependency run throughout the film. The addiction to diet pills and television that Sarah Goldfarb suffers from parallels the drug addiction of Harry and Co. and are shown to be equally as destructive, both mentally and physically. Ellen Burstyn's portrayal of Sarah Goldfarb is superb. During a scene where she is explaining her crippling loneliness her lips quiver and break into the occasional, subtle, nervous smile, which is a something that you just don't see from lesser actors. Each scene with the young cast (Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly and Marlon Wayans) is juxtaposed with a scene of Sarah to further show how any addiction has the power to control you and it is the lack of control that ultimately takes your life away.
The film is littered with extreme close up, quick cuts of drug taking which reflect the constant, unescapable repetition that the characters live.
I could probably write an entire essay about the genius of "Requiem for a Dream" (I have barely mentioned the cinematography, lighting or sound design) but ill stop here for now.