A haunting masterpiece of modern cinema

Rating: 10/10 (15 May 2006)

Requiem for a Dream was almost six years old before I had a chance to watch it beginning to end. I had seen a few scenes from it on television before, but I'd never seen the entirety until a few days ago. What I thought would just be a standard "good film", has turned out to be a merciless, haunting masterpiece, that leaves the viewer changed forever after viewing it.
The film is a parallel story. It jumps between Harry's (Jared Leto) story about trying to score enough heroin with his buddy Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) and girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly) to live out happy lives, and his mother Sara's (Ellen Burstyn) story about her desperate attempts to get onto television. The film chronicles these four individuals, and their ups and downs through the course of three seasons of a year.
I have nothing but praise for this compelling and thought provoking film. It may be about junkies, but I'd be lying if I, who has never done hard drugs, said I could not relate to any of the characters. Each is played to perfection by their actor. Wayans performance is a total departure from his usual comedic roles, and is only a joy to watch some real acting chops being showcased by the young actor. Leto continues to impress me, and continues to prove why he'll be a heavy hitter in years to come. Connelly is excellent as always, shining through in a role that came just before her Oscar winning role in A Beautiful Mind. Burstyn is absolutely fabulous in her role, and clearly overshadows everything that won Julia Roberts her Oscar that year. Every supporting character, from Christopher McDonald's turn as infomercial king Tappy Tibbons to Keith David as the twisted Big Tim, to all the even lesser supporting characters, all are put to screen excellently and only complement the main actors.
The writing is an absolute marvel. I cannot even begin to imagine what some of the sequences look like in Selby Jr.'s novel, but I can only come to think of them either being nowhere near as good as those created by Selby Jr and Aronofsky during the creation of the film. Watching some of the features on the DVD only helps to make the viewer feel more aware of all the planning and implementation that went into creating these gorgeous and appealing shots from the film. This is a Generation X film through and through, and the way it has been created only helps to make it more of a marvel six years later.
But while the performances are all excellent, it's the style of the film that makes it absolutely unforgettable. Shots are all over the place. From crazy tracking shots, to shots of both characters view points, to the absolutely insane cuts all over the film, it all makes for a fantastic visual pleasure for the eyes. There are a few grainy scenes, but they only make the authenticity of other scenes become that much better. The cinematography and art direction are just astounding. Every piece of digital and normal camera work put into the film is put to the test here, and works magnificently in the final product. Not once does the editing falter, and not once do any of the visual elements not work. They all have been meticulously created to look and feel real, and they work as a result.
This is just one of those films you cannot forget, and cannot keep your eyes off of after it starts. It is brilliant in every sense of the word, and deserved more praise than it ever got. The fact that it was nominated and lost its one Best Actress nomination is an absolute travesty. It is a visual treasure, and a true thought provoker. I was enthralled from the beginning to the end, and just cannot believe I waited so long to see it.
Don't make the same mistake I did. See it now, before the opportunity evades you.
10/10.