The Downfall of Us All...

Rating: 10/10 (26 May 2014)

As director Darren Aronofsky's second feature film, Requiem for a Dream is also his best. Through its graphic and hard-hitting depictions of drug abuse, the film also serves as a lesson on the American Dream and the impossibility of ever truly achieving it.
The story of Requiem for a Dream revolves around four addicts living on Coney Island. The first is Sara, an elderly woman who has been selected to appear as a contestant on her favorite game show. Determined to lose her stout figure for the show, Sara becomes addicted to weight loss pills that cause her to slowly lose her grasp on reality. Her son Harry, along with his girlfriend Marion and his best friend Tyrone, is a heroin addict who becomes a dealer in order to feed his addiction and to help Marion open a fashion store. The three of them run into innumerable problems, however. Harry's arm becomes horrendously infected due to the repeated use of unclean needles. Sara looses her mind completely. Marion descends into prostitution to continue her worsening addiction and Tyrone is caught in the middle of a gang shooting which he barely escapes. By the end of the film, which I won't go into too much detail, the four have lost everything they hold dear.
As I had previously stated, this film acts as a metaphor for the elusive American Dream. Sara, Harry, Tyrone, and Marion all had a dream of their own that they ultimately failed to achieve. Sara wished to be grand prize winning contestant on the game show, but her addiction became so severe that it drove her insane. Harry and Marion wanted to settle down together and open a store together, but their addictions drive them apart and they finally descend into depravity. Tyrone simply wants to make his mother proud, but his actions end up costing him his freedom. The events of this film suggest that, whether ones actions are good or bad, the American Dream is something that can never truly be achieved. Every choice that we make has a consequence. It is not only drug dependency that hinders ones success, but also issues of money, power, violence, and racial, gender, and sexual tolerance that contribute to the death of our dreams. Perhaps this is what the title of the film, Requiem for a Dream, stands for.
Requiem for a Dream is an incredibly powerful, moving, and haunting film that stays with you long after the end credits have rolled. The film's performances, particularly Ellen Burstyn and Jared Leto as Sara and Harry, are all top-notch and unforgettable. Keep in mind that this film contains some very unsettling and grim situations and imagery, but those who can bear through it will love the film as I do. This is one of my top ten favorite films of all time.