An earth shattering, gut wrenching masterwork

Rating: 9/10 (4 October 2003)

I have just watched 'Requiem for a Dream' and it is unlike no other film I have ever seen. It is so savage, so unmitigated in its horrific images, so twisted and intense that it simply appeared to me as earth shattering. Ellen Burstyn's performance is the highlight of her career, as her portrayal of Sara Goldfarb is nothing short of brilliant. Through haunting visuals, combining the surrealistic dreamworld of the addict with the horrifying nightmare that lies between highs, Aronosofsky moves beyond the enigmatic pretenses of his first work PI, and into a bold new world. Nothing anyone said prepared me for this movie, with its utterly honest and terrifying depiction of addiction, it is so much more intriguing than anything else I have ever seen on the subject (the closest would be 'Trainspotting' and that is distant). A word of advice to the viewer, however. If you do not have a strong stomach this movie is not necessarily for you. The entire movie is dizzying and nauseating, not because of any specific visuals but because of its astounding intensity.