Amazing Cinematography....Winning Characters....Stunning Plot line

Rating: 9/10 (9 December 2007)

Requiem For A Dream is an overall intense portrayal of the life of several winning characters who despite their ambitions for something greater are quickly overwhelmed by their unfortunate drug addictions. The scene is New York City, New York around the late 1990's. Harry Goldfarb (Jared Leto) and his best friend Tyrone C. Love (Marlon Wayans) are heroin addicts. Over dinner at a hot dog stand one night they decide that it is time to get their lives on track and make a little money. Their proposal: to score a pound of pure uncut heroin and then proceed to sell it to people for profit. Things are going great for Harry and Tyrone as well as Harry's girlfriend Marion Silver (Jennifer Connelly). They are seemingly overcoming their daily troubles. Generously Harry proposes to Marion the idea of opening up their own shop where Marion can design, make, and sell her clothing ideas. Everything seems to be on track at this point, so Harry goes to visit his mother Sarah Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn). He apologizes to his mother for past shortcomings and tries to explain to his mother how he is going to make it up to her when he realizes that she is on diet pills (Amphetamines). His mother then explains the need for these diet pills (She had received a random phone call one day telling her that she was to appear on television, and she was determined to fit into the red dress that she had worn to Harry's high school graduation). Harry, in love for his mother, strongly discourages her continued use of these pills and finally tells her that he has purchased her a new television. Everything is going well for Harry until Tyrone witnesses a brutal murder involving the selling of heroin. Their Cash supply gradually becomes smaller until essentially there is nothing left. Blinded by their addictions they continue telling themselves that things will get better. Unfortunately things only get worse for all of them. As their addictions spiral out of control, Tyrone is put in jail suffering the withdrawals from his normal usage. Harry's arm becomes thoroughly affected with gangrene ultimately resulting in removal. Marion is in a position to where she can choose the love of her life or she can choose heroin (she sells herself off for the latter of the two). All the while, Sarah, driven by the hope of becoming more than a lonely housewife, gradually loses her mind to the amphetamines that she is on. The Overall delivery of this film was quite amazing. With a winning soundtrack provided by Clint Mansell and the Kronos Quartet and the miraculous cinematography that Darren Aronofsky uses this film easily rates a 9.5/10.