Flashy, gimmicky, and emotionally empty waste of time.

Rating: Null/10 (4 September 2001)

Being an admirer of Aronofsky's debut 'Pi' and a fan of Hubert Selby Jr's novels 'Last Exit To Brooklyn' and 'The Demon' I was expecting this to be the first GREAT movie of the decade but I was bitterly disappointed! What we have is a gimmicky directed, emotionally UNBELIEVABLE waste of a good idea. The only character who is half way realized is Ellen Burstyn's pitiful Sara Goldfarb. The other main characters are so thinly fleshed out and averagely acted that you end up with absolutely NO interest in their fate. In fact I couldn't even see any reason for Wayan's character to be in this movie at all, unless it was some PC reason to counter-balance Keith David's scummy role. All Wayans does is stare wistfully at his mother's photo and that's about it.
I found the direction (unlike 'Pi') to be flashy, irritating and totally unnecessary! One shot of drugs being snorted and a close up of pupil's dilating was fine, but over and over and over?! And the fast motion sequences only reminded me of the chase scenes in 'The Benny Hill Show'.
Lastly, what exactly is 'Requiem..' saying that we don't already know? If you take drugs you might get addicted and have to do "bad" things?? Is that as profound as it gets? Aren't we all adults here? I fail to see what I'm supposed to think is so outstanding about this movie. And if you find this "distressing", "confrontational" and "too difficult to watch" then all I can say is that you must live in a safe, Disney-fied world! Stick with your Julia Roberts movies...