An emotional spiral

Rating: Null/10 (25 October 2000)

Darren Aronofsky's first film, "Pi" (1998), was brilliant. His second film is no exception. A requiem is the name for a piece of music composed for a funeral, hence the movie's name "Requiem for a Dream". The movie focuses on a small group of people who watch their dreams die when they enter a downward drug spiral.
It is very visually intense, especially when seen up close on the big screen. The rise and fall of emotions and eventual crush of hope and desperation leave you feeling like a fragile shell of a human being. There are a few very emotinally shocking scenes that may not be for the faint hearted. The soundtrack is a mix of Clint Mansell's experimental electronic and is filled with very haunting cello and string accompaniment in the form of the Kronos Quartet, which only enhances the feel of the film as a whole.
Any film which can draw you in like this one did, allowing you to experience almost every emotion the characters do, to rise and fall with them, is worth seeing. A lot of people will say this movie is depressing. It is, but after it's over, you can retire to a warm drink and the company of friends, and be happy your life is what it is.