Requiem for a Dream

Requiem for a Dream is a breathtaking journey into the human mind, which hides countless horrors and phobias in its recesses and is a virtually inexhaustible commodity as a film subject. Who really knows what goes on inside the heads of people who are addicted to any kind of drug? And it is Darren Aronofsky who manages to outline one variant in this powerfully emotional film in a rather convincing and frighteningly realistic way. Ellen Burstyn was incredibly real and embraced her role to the fullest, while being complemented brilliantly by the performances of Jared Leto and Jennifer Connelly. All of the pillars (direction, actors, cinematography, editing, sound... and especially the music) that make up a solid film were firmly planted in the ground, and I just enjoyed the stirring spectacle that raced inexorably towards one of the most impressive conclusions in cinema. In short, the perfect prototype for a psychological drama with a nod to thriller, with which Aronofsky rose strongly in my estimation. (29/04/2011)

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)

Requiem for a Dream confirmed that I really don't like movies about drug addicts. If it weren't for the story of Harry's mother, I'd probably give it a single star for the direction and the music and that would be it. My problem is that I wanted the worst possible ending for virtually all the characters (except for the aforementioned Sara Goldfarb) from the very beginning. And that is why the ending, praised by many, full of emotions and evoking depression, didn't touch me particularly. All in all, I think the only thing that really impressed me was the (brief, because I always closed my eyes) sight of that inflamed hand. Two and a half stars. (11/09/2011)

Straightforward - transparent - destructive. Although one swears that Aronofsky is working with his triad of destinies so ostentatiously that the viewer cannot be caught with his pants down, it happens nonetheless. Thanks to famous editing, fantastic music and a gourmet tempo, and the atmosphere of the shots, Requiem for a Dream escalates into unbearably creaking tones of frustration and humiliation. Mansell's central melody makes one feel cold, but the visual poem Darren composed for it tears the skin. Although the film typically does not have a particularly deep interior, its surface is so perfect and so well targeted that it cannot be resisted. (24/11/2008)

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)