Requiem for a Dream

I don't think I've ever seen a comparably unpleasant film about addictions of all kinds, and truth be told, I don't want to see it again. I have to admit, however, that the ever-repeating merry-go-round of fast cuts, coupled with the intrusively infectious musical accompaniment, had such a frantic gradation as the end approached that it was hard to resist. That's actually one of the reasons I decided to like this film. My great admiration, however, goes to Ellen Burstyn, whose riveting performance outshined all the others. (75%) (15/08/2021)

When I saw the British cult film Trainspotting in the mid-90s, I was literally overwhelmed by its overview and deep exploration of the world of junkies and their survival in this world. And above all, I had a sense of authenticity throughout the film, given that the author of the book, Irvine Welsh, had firsthand knowledge of the scene, being intimately familiar with the life of the junkie community and the drug culture, and having tried drugs more than once. When I watched Requiem for a Dream, my initial impression was complete annoyance at the fact that the screenwriter was openly making a fool out of me, because only someone who may occasionally snort a line of cocaine at a glamorous celebrity party, not someone who knows the phenomenon of the drug world and junkies from personal experience, could come up with such nonsense and detachment from the subject matter. I was not familiar with Darren Aronofsky's work and did not know what to expect from him. But from the first moment, I got the feeling that his directorial style was overly exaggerated, with an obvious attempt to shock and emotionally manipulate the viewer. His music video-like style with fast cuts, slow motion, and most notably, the speeding up of the camera and overall excessive stylization reminded me of the film Spun, but that film primarily aimed to entertain and did not pretend to convey any grand message. Aronofsky's characters are only loosely sketched and, above all, they do nonsensical things. Building the main storyline on the absolute lack of heroin in the middle of New York City, which is the most lucrative drug market in the world and daily supplies a huge number of drug trafficking networks, is simply ridiculous. If the story took place in a sleepy town somewhere in the Midwest, I could easily identify with it, where one broken gang can truly drive many addicts to despair. Then there are plenty of logical errors, like the arrest of the junkie duo - since they weren't carrying drugs, they probably got busted for parking violations. :-) The main character gets sepsis from an infected and swollen vein, which is another absurdity because a junkie like him knows perfectly well where to inject the drug, and it's usually not even the arm because it's too visible - I could go on and on. When I read the reviews from film fans, I felt like I was sitting on a bus while others claimed that I was in psychiatric care. Well, maybe they are right... Overall impression: 35%. For me, this is one of the most overrated films on FilmBooster. (26/03/2010)

Aronofsky hit me right in the heart with this arrow. The absolutely brilliant central string theme, the depressing atmosphere in every second, but most of all the hopelessness, the inescapability, the insane suffering, overall compounded by the uncompromisingly harsh yet absolutely perfect direction. It's really hard to talk about any hint of optimism or hope here, every character suffers the same, long and forever... (12/07/2009)

It's brilliant filmmaking, but its excessive darkness is its biggest weakness. Aronofsky, as co-writer of the screenplay, in an attempt to play on the darkest possible string, committed several screenwriting blunders, and very big ones at that. However, if I had to pick one drug-themed movie out of all the ones I wanted to use to discourage my potential offspring from using drugs, it would pick this one. It's not nearly as sophisticated and complex as, say, Traffic, and it's leaky script-wise, but it's so disgusting in its depiction of the consequences of drug use that it would have served its purpose perfectly. (10/02/2004)

Darren Aronofsky’s directorial inventiveness is incredible. Can anyone else ever reflect human feelings so brilliantly using only camerawork, editing and music? The acting is also excellent – Ellen Burstyn’s performance ranks among the best that I have every seen. But still that’s not enough for me. Requiem for a Dream is a devastating mosaic of somewhat gratuitous misery. It is not the deep, existential and timeless philosophical reflection that it could have been. Which, given its extraordinary formalistic qualities, is a shame. (03/04/2003)