Delicious Agony

Rating: 10/10 (16 July 2002)

As a connisseur of heroin literature and film, I found Requiem to be an explosive telling of a story oft repeated: addiction & loss. From Drugstore Cowboy, Rush, Trainspotting, Naked Lunch & Junkie, the story is generally the same - vulnerable folks get pulled in by the most addictive drug known to man: heroin. But Requiem does more, goes further, and drives the viewer into the depths of the spiral unlike any film before. I found the last ten minutes of the film to be gut-wrenchingly painful as each character reached the nadir of their existence. Aronofsky's achievement with his filmmaking and the actors' achievement with their performances is truly amazing.