A Powerful Experience

Rating: 9/10 (26 April 2015)

To start this off, I have two things to say about Requiem for a Dream. Firstly, this is the most disturbing film I have ever seen. Secondly, it is one of the best ever made. The film is shot beautifully utilizing very unique shots including the split screen shot which allows you to see multiple perspectives of what is happening at the same time whether in the same room or across the country. Another technique is the usage of drug use montages such as the very famous montage of preparing and taking heroin. Never before has a film's style and angle made you think so hard about what is trying to be portrayed.
Requiem for a Dream is extremely intense and very hard to watch. It is horribly depressing and really takes the energy out in a very powerful way. It makes you rethink your ideas about drug use and the struggles of many people that use them. The film seems very realistic and the characters are acted to perfection. How these actors haven't gone on to do more contemporary movies is beyond me.
For those that find grotesque movies such as this hard to stomach, I think that the movie is similar to A Clockwork Orange. It is very disturbing and upsetting to watch, but it is something so powerful that everyone should experience it. I am generally hesitant to call any piece of art "life-changing", but Requiem for a Dream could easily change the way one views the society around them. This is a masterpiece of film and should be experienced by all.