Unbearably powerful; ranks as one of the greatest films of all time

Rating: 10/10 (23 July 2001)

It has been two days since I have watched Darren Aronofsky's second feature, Requiem for a Dream, and I have just now begun to regain some sense of composure. Aronofsky has created one of those rare films that are so astonishing in emotional power and technical brilliance, and it has had the effect of leaving me staggering for two days following the experience. This film is an achievement that is easily worthy of mention along side Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line and Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now.
The content of Requiem for a Dream has been established in most of the comments before mine, and thus I will instead address a few select points. With the addition of Requiem for a Dream to his resume, Darren Aronofsky must now be considered one of the most visually arresting directors currently working in cinema. I must once again address comments pertaining to Aronofsky's supposed use of "MTV visuals", and wonder whether it is the wish of this society to remove all innovation from the use of the film camera. Those who condemn Aronofsky's style remind me distinctly of the boorish studio executives who took it upon themselves to cut Orson Welles' Touch of Evil because his technique was too revolutionary.
In the style of all great visual directors, Aronofsky uses the camera to not simply capture his story, but to convey those emotions and psychological intangibles that an actor is not capable of providing the audience with. As the characters in Requiem for a Dream spiral further into the tragic abyss of drug addiction, Aronofsky is able to, in every single sequence, provide the perfect shot with which to establish the psychological condition of his actors--a condition that cannot be portrayed in any other way due to the very nature of illicit drugs.
Behind Aronofsky's talent is an emotional experience of unbearable power, punctuated by astonishing human performances from all four of the lead characters, most notably Ellen Burstyn in one of the most brilliant performances I have ever witnessed; her loss to Julia Roberts continues to prove that the year 2001 held the most shockingly commercial Academy Awards ceremony in the history of the institution. The descent of the characters is completed with one of the most brutal, shocking, and emotional sequences in cinema history, a frenetically edited finale which generates such emotion that it cannot be adequately described with mere words. Finally, Clint Mansell's brilliant soundtrack must be mentioned, as it is as vital to this film as any of its other aspects.
In closing, Requiem for a Dream is a true masterpiece in every sense of the word, and stands as the most important parable of addiction ever captured on film; this film not only should, but must be shown to every child considering illicit drug use. Much like Malick's aforementioned The Thin Red Line, Requiem for a Dream will be considered truly great in 25 years, when the likes of Gladiator and Shakespeare In Love have long since been forgotten.