Lots of flash, little substance (minor spoilers)

Rating: 8/10 (28 June 2004)

Most people are enamored with "Requiem for a Dream" - they are taken aback by its gimmicky direction and its undeniably strong cast. This is a good movie - but not a great one. Burstyn, Leto, Connelly, and Wayans do give great performances, however.
Unforunately, there is little story here. The movie, when all is said and done, is jarringly predictable, and simply goes nowhere, much like the addicts and drug dealers it depicts. The implication, of course, is that substance abuse is a downward spiral, but it makes for a messy movie with little or no plot, and more importantly, little incentive to watch again.
Split-screens and time-lapse photography are fun little tricks, but they are ultimately overused by Aronofsky. They eventually take the viewer out of the movie's reality, or, at the very least, become a bit dull through repetition. Some of the plot turns in the film are eyebrow-raising - Connelly's character, for example, goes from a fairly normal person with a drug problem to a total junkie almost overnight.
"Requiem" is a flawed movie, but a good film. I only wish the screenplay was as strong as the actors' performances.
8/10