The red dress

Rating: Null/10 (28 December 2000)

"Requiem for a Dream" is easily one of the best films of 2000, one that deserves to be remembered for many years to come. As I was watching this film for the first time, I was overwhelmed by Darren Aronofsky's bold film-making techniques. By the end, however, I appreciated the immediacy and unabashed truthfulness they gave each scene. Despite its often discordant style, "Requiem for a Dream" is a moving film that flows seamlessly. It contains many disturbing images, but never does anything seem thrown in just for the sake of shocking the audience. What we get instead is a deeply felt story about four people whose lives are crippled by their addictions.
Many people have referred to "Requiem for a Dream" as an anti-drug movie, which it certainly is! It definitely provides a vivid account of how drugs complicate the lives of the four principal characters, as each slowly descend into his/her own personal hell during the film's wrenching climax. However, "Requiem for a Dream" is as much a film about human frailty and longing as it is an anti-drug movie. It wasn't until the second time I saw this film that I recognized Sara Goldfarb's red dress as a symbol for the unattainable dreams that each character desires to fulfill. The scene where Sara is visited by her son Harry and she tells him that the red dress "is a reason to wake up in the morning" really drives this point home. She yearns for the time in her life when her husband was still alive and Harry was still close to her, much the same way that Tyrone yearns for the comfort and love he once felt in his mother's arms. Also, in two dream sequences, Harry is seen approaching Marion, who is at the end of a pier wearing a red dress (an image that is used for the poster art for this film). Such an idyllic scene as this is offset by other scenes depicting each character in the throes of their respective addictions.
Ellen Burstyn's fearless portrayal of Sara Goldfarb, the lonely and helpless widow beset by her addiction to diet pills, gives "Requiem for a Dream" its emotional center. She deserves all the accolades she has received for this performance. Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly and Marlon Wayans also deserve recognition for their committed performances. Matthew Libatique's photography and Clint Mansell's hauntingly dark score add immensely to this film. And I really look forward to Darren Aronofsky's future films. With "Pi", Aronofsky made a very promising start, and with "Requiem for a Dream" he lives up to that promise.