A Disturbing Masterpiece

Rating: 9/10 (1 October 2017)

While watching Aronofsky's uncompromisingly bleak journey into the downward spiral of four individuals living in Brooklyn, I couldn't help but think of the famous Nine Inch Nails tune Hurt.
The lines, "The needle tears a hole, The old familiar sting, Try to kill it all away, But I remember everything", bring to mind Harry's (Leto), one of our protagonists, heroin addiction.
In a way both Hurt and Requiem for a Dream (RFAD) deal with similar themes regarding individuals engaging in self-harming activities (in this case, drug use) as a means to escape their empty lives.
This isn't to imply that RFAD is just a simple anti-drug PSA because while the four main characters such as the aforementioned Harry, his grandmother Sara (Burnstyn), his girlfriend (Marion) and his friend Tyrone (Wayans) are each addicted to different types of drugs; what truly drives their actions are their obsession with achieving the idealistic American Dream in order to find happiness.
RFAD MW
With Sara it's being on TV, with Harry and Sara it's starting their own clothing store, and with Tyrone it's the simple desire to be loved by someone like his mother did when he was a child. Protagonists with obsessions that eventually lead to their downfall is a common theme in Aronofsky's filmography whether it's clinging on to their 80's glory days (The Westler) or perfecting ballet dancing (Black Swan) and RFAD is no exception.
Aronofsky has also never been afraid to get weird. Much like David Lynch, Aronofsky uses surrealism and unorthodox film-making techniques as a tool to help externalize the emotions and state of minds of the characters.
This is on display with the film's then revolutionary "hip hop montage" technique (previously used by Aronofsky in Pi) in which a large number of rapid short cuts are used to illustrate the character's transition from sobriety to intoxication.
While there are plenty of crazy camera techniques and visual elements utilized throughout the movie such as body cams shots (Ex. Tyrone running away from a gang hit) and rapid visual distortion to showcase the characters suffering from withdrawal, by far one of my favorite moments is a quiet moment that features Harry and Sara talking face-to-face while lying in bed together.
Instead of being in the same shot, both of their faces separated by a split-screen format. Despite saying they love each other, the cold dialogue delivery and the separation by the editing serves to illuminate the hallow-ness of their relationship. Harry and Sara are more in love with the idea of each other if anything else.
There are many other tricks being used in order to immerse the audience into the subjective emotions of the characters, none more so than with Sara who as the film progresses experiences more vivid delusions of being on a potentially non-existent game show in addition to increased stress from trying to lose weight. Let's just say you will probably never be more scared by a refrigerator than when watching RFAD.
Speaking of Sara, it would be a crime to discuss RFAD without mentioning Burnstyn's magnetic transformative performance. This isn't to minimize everybody else because the acting quality in general is great, heck, even Marlon Wayans (playing against type in his only dramatic role so far) more than holds his own against the likes of Connelly and Leto. If there was any weak link in the cast (if any because once again, everybody is awesome) it would be Leto due to his uneven New York accent in the first half of the film. Despite all the characters having less than admirable qualities, the acting gives each of them a level of believability that works in conjunction with the guerilla-style cinematography to lend an air of authenticity to RFAD.
RFAD Sara
However, seeing Burnstyn going through her transformation from absent-minded white- haired grandmother to a pill-popping anorexic red-haired wreck is both horrifying and an awe-inspiring testament to having dedication to one's craft. Out of all the characters, Sara is the one I had the most sympathy for since she was the most innocent out of anybody. She sincerely cares for her son Harry and wants nothing more than for him to be happy. This is what makes her "nothing is left for me" speech to Harry simply heartbreaking. Burnstyn gives some of the best acting I've ever seen because the sadness in her delivery and expressions was so moving that even cinematographer Matthew Libatique broke into tears while shooting the scene.
Needless to say, RFAD is far from an uplifting film and is easily up there with Grave of the Fireflies as being one of the saddest films I've ever seen, but it's also a great Greek tragedy-style psychological character study that isn't afraid to show the ugly side of humanity.