Requiem for a Dream

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)

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. (04/04/2003)

After a second screening I have to say that Requiem for a Dream has become one of the most influential and powerful film experiences of my life. Few other films can evoke such a feeling of depression and at the same time impress with their first-class formality, which doesn't so much cross the line of perfection as push it by leaps and bounds. If something seemed slightly unfinished or overdone the first time, the second time I was completely swept away by the geyser of fresh ideas and bold shots, everything seemed to be exactly in place and the intensity of the story was all the more overwhelming because it was achieved without any big twists or ideas. It’s almost unbelievable how Aronofsky can wring the viewer out with just a few clever cuts, and how Clint Mansell can create a stifling and unpleasant atmosphere right from the start with a single musical motif that couldn't have been better and makes you wonder how something so beautiful and chilling could have been composed in the first place. And the final trump card is the absolutely amazing cast, Leto, Connely and Wayans give the performances of a lifetime, but all of them are topped by the phenomenal Ellen Burstyn, whose creation is breathtaking and academics deserve a good beating over the head with a dictionary to understand what the word acting means. Maybe I'm writing a bit hastily now, with the central melody and the breathtaking, flawlessly edited final scene still running through my head, but from my point of view this is one of the most worthwhile films of all time. If you've ever thought for even a brief moment about taking hard drugs, watch Requiem for a Dream and the craving will pass quickly. 100% (11/06/2013)

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. (11/02/2004)

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... (13/07/2009)