Rating: 
Summary: This movie will be with you forever
Review: Based on the novel by Hubert Selby Jr., and adapted by Selby and director Darren Aronofsky, this is undoubtedly one of the most effective films ever made about the experience of drug addiction. Requiem for a dream focuses on four people bound for a downward spiral of addiction and sheer terror, but it's Ellen Burstyn--in a raw and bravely triumphant performance--who most desperately embraces the downward spiral of drug abuse. As lonely widow Sara Goldfarb, she invests all of her dreams in an ridiculous self-help TV game show, jolting her bloodstream with diet pills and coffee while her son Harry (Jared Leto) shoots heroin with his best friend Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) and slumming girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly). They're sliding toward madness at varying speeds, and Aronofsky tracks this gloomy process by endlessly repeating the imagery of their deadly routines.
I am one of those people who, when they hear a movie is extremely shocking and disturbing, get a burning urge to see it as fast as I can to see if it shocks me (especially if it's R-18+). So, I eagerly anticipated seeing it. The performances in this movie were truly unbelievable. The characters' miserable pursuit of their misguided dreams grabs hold of you in a way wich crushes your spirit and rips you inside out. You know what's going to happen but can't stop watching, as though you just want to be their for them, for Sara, for Harry, for Tyrone, for Marion. It's far from some corny anti-drug movie. It's a raw, gut-wrenching, unforgiving look at the by-product of a society that has chosen to dull its senses with an assortment of nightmarish addictions and which feeds on empty images of glamour, high life and leisure.
Darren Aronofsky has pushed this movie to a disturbing extreme, forcing conventional narrative into a panic zone of traumatized people pushed to the furthest boundaries of chemical tolerance. It's too easy to call this a cautionary tale; it's a guided tour through hell, with Aronofsky as our bold and ruthless host. Darren Aronofsky himself compared the film to a jump from a plane without a parachute, and the movie ends three minutes after you hit the ground. The colors and angles he chooses make the film very beautiful. His use of split screen, cameras attached to actors, and close ups are simply a work of art. The fast paced cuts blew my mind. most teens should watch this movie because I guarantee they will have think twice, even three times before taking drugs. I have seen a lot of movies in my life, but I have never seen a movie that made me feel such undisguised emotion.
The soundtrack adds to the psychological and physical havoc displayed on screen. This movie, along with the music, will send chills down your spine. One review I read said that the movie not only pulls the rug out from under you, it drags you and the rug down a long flight of stairs into a very dark basement. The last twenty minutes of this film are terribly powerful and shocked me into silence, I've never before felt physically ill after a movie. Aronofsky is a cinematic artist, as well as a mastermind madman. This movie will stay under your skin for months, after viewing this remarkable film you feel totally numb.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant paranoia
Review: This is one of those films which doesnt give you any positive feeling whatsoever. Which is completely realistic knowing the destructiveness of drug abuse in its purest form. It is a disturbing picture concerning the lives of a couple of youngsters growing from consumers to abusers of heroine and cocaine. The agony of the mother whose life consists in sitting in front of the television completely paranoia from all the so called medicins she is geting to stay calm. Getting more and more paranoia she finally literally gets eaten by the fridge in a brilliant scene. Finally a movie where the raunchy feeling creeps up from behind you and doesnt let go anymore. Bravo to the "rollercoaster' editing of the scenes in which the cocaine consumation takes place.
Rating:
Summary: Beautifully Haunting-Unforgettable!
Review: An awe-inspiring journey into the human abyss. All the leads are fantastic, giving powerful, energetic performances. Aronofsky gives this film a depressing, haunting and beautiful feel, with unconventional lighting and camera angles. His direction is flawless and puts the audience in the actors' shoes. To date, this is my favourite film, every aspect of this film is fantastic. I love this film but it is not for the faint of heart , the visuals are shocking and the story is extremely depressing.
(Unrated) contains explicit sexual content, gore, intense situations, DRUG USE, violence, and profanity. I know that sounds like a lot but the editing is so quick that half the time you don't really know how much you actually saw.Matt
Rating:
Summary: A Nightmarish "Dream"
Review: Directed with flair, audacity and brilliance by Darren Aronofsky, and centered by a devastatingly fearless performance by Ellen Burstyn, this is the most savage and unblinking look at drug addiction, both legal & illegal, ever put on film. It is a hard, hard film that is easy to admire and difficult to love, which is probably why it was nominated for, but didn't win, many awards. Aronofsky's direction is continually inventive and surprising, jarring us, shocking us, and shoving us into the psyche and guts of these people. It is a tough trip. The cinematography and editing is exceptional. The DVD surround soundtrack is especially effective. The story of a Brooklyn housewife/widow becoming addicted to diet pills while her junkie son & his friends self-destruct in their own ways, is a descent into the mouth of hell and no punches are pulled. It is all too achingly real and sad. Should be shown in every high school in America, and on Oprah for the stay-at-home pill poppers. This is exceptional film making and brutally honest story-telling. As I said, difficult to feel warm about a film like this, but a not-to-be-missed experience, if you're ready for a rough ride.
Rating:
Summary: "Terror" incognita.
Review: I was often intrigued by the sad title of this much talked about film. Yet world of substance abuse was so foreign to me it kept me away from renting or even buying. Well, I got to watch it on Sundance film channel last night, thinking I'd just watch for 15 minutes. Boy did it blow my mind...... not too many movies do this to me. I couldn't sleep well last night. I kept hearing that powerful soundtrack in my head. I don't know which I love more, tension building music or the movie itself? They go together so well. Now I see why other viewers talk about the last 30 minutes of this film. It is so emotionally intense it made me cry. I never did drugs in my life and pray that my 14 year old son would stay away from it at any cost. Yet I truly felt for those people with their vices. For their lost dreams. I understood why it was called "Requiem for a Dream" then. This is an intelligent and mature film. My admiration goes to the young, intellectual director who lets me experience the world I never been to. Next time I hear the news about Robert Downey Jr, I know I won't be laughing.
Rating:
Summary: Aronofsky is a genius!
Review: In the past few months, I've been always recommending my friends to go to the theatre to watch or go to rent the vhs/dvd of Requiem for a Dream otherwise they'd miss one of the most important movies in history. This film, along with Pi, sealed the birth of a genius director, Darren Aronofsky. Everything in the film was done perfectly and the audience are just like going through the happiness and misery of the 4 protagonists with them. Magical isn't it? BTW, We mustn't forget the work of actors and other crews, especially Ellen Burstyn who should have won Best Actress in Oscar 2001 instead of Julia Roberts. Requiem for a Dream is one of my favourite films of all time and in case you haven't seen Pi yet, please do.
Rating:
Summary: One of the most powerful films in recent memory.
Review: The phrase "nerve wracking" earns new meaning with Darren Aronofsky's "Requiem For A Dream," a complex film that deals with the physical, mental, and emotional consequences of drug use on variously striking levels. Aronofsky handles the material in a heavy manner, throwing all the style, all the sensory imagery, all the bone-chilling sequences he can muster up into the film, giving it such a rush that when the final frame rolls by, it was all I could do heave a sigh of relief. Or was it bewilderment? Undoubtedly, this is one of the best movies to come along in years, relying on a strong, gripping plot to achieve a high note of urgency and importance. It moves at various speeds, from that of a narcotic-induced high, to that of a delusional nightmare, but it never loses its momentum or its tightening grip on its audience. It chronicles the lives of four people, average citizens hoping to make something more out of their dreary lives. Harry Goldfarb wants nothing more than to live a life of happiness and luxury with his girlfriend, Marion. Together with his friend Tyrone, he sells narcotics, reaching a point where he feels nothing can overcome his newfound wealth. The three of them live and interact together in a frenzied, drug-induced euphoria that casts a veil over their lives, one that is as inviting as it is foreboding. Harry's mother, Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn), is so overcome by her loneliness that she practically goes off the deep end when she receives a call from a game show inviting her to appear on television. She grabs her favorite red dress from the closet, dyes her hair bright red, and goes on dietary drugs to fit into her dress. Thus begins Aronofsky's setup for a final act that becomes more than just a conclusion for the characters, but an awakening for audiences everywhere. When their supplier becomes cut off, Harry and Tyrone become frantic, as does Marion, who is enveloped by her addiction to the point where she is willing to sacrifice her dignity for smack. But it is Sara's downfall that becomes the centrifuge for the film's message: in the beginning, we see her without the drugs, as opposed to the remaining three characters. The movie allows us to follow her in her descent, as she begins to obsess about her weight, popping more pills than she can count until she imagines her refrigerator moving on its own. If you think a moving fridge is nothing to get excited over, you'll reconsider. Aronofsky sets up such scenes with deluded visions and wraparound shots of his actors, casting them as well as us into a whirlwind of mass hysteria that carries us into the very heart of the movie's many dilemmas. He brings to the first two-thirds of the film repetitive cuts of drugs, bloodshot eyes, narcotics and various other paraphernalia, which act as a metaphor for the quick thrills as a result of the use of drugs. As a result, the final act's impact is made that much more engrossing, and a sudden sense of intensity and subtly chilling suspense washes over the entire film, stemming from our wanting to know what will come of the characters as a result of their choices. The cast for "Requiem" also enhances the movie's overall appeal. Leto, Connelly, and Wayans each turn in the performance of their careers, separately portraying different aspects of the effects of drugs. It is Ellen Burstyn, however, who steals the show in a forthright, unrelenting performance that is the highlight of the Best Actress category for 2000. She pulls out all the stops, portraying Sara's fall from grace with a terror that is made all-the-more chilling because of its universal truths. "Requiem For A Dream" isn't just a movie: it's a message, one that screams itself into the hearts and minds of any who happen upon it. Aronofsky helms the project with a superiority unmatched by most other films of its kind, evoking a tense, mind-bending journey that is a must for fans of character-driven dramas and those considering the use of illegal substances. By choosing to focus on the personal results of the characters, the movie takes on a whole new meaning, rising out of the depths of its own depravity to become one of the best and most memorable pictures of 2000, as well as all time.
Rating:
Summary: The "Go Ask Alice" Of Out Time
Review: This movie is not like any other. Because in other movies, people use drugs and you never actually get to see the real truth behind drug use and abuse. Every movie teaches the audience of how "cool" and fun drugs can be. But not one movie that I have been witness to has captured the reality of addiction and other possible problems you encounter when involved with drugs. This movie was great. Specially because, unlike fairy-tales, the main characters do not live happily ever after. It starts with three friends that are trying to make it in the city. I will not tell you the details but the ending you will never expect.
Rating:
Summary: Requiem for a Dream is simply amazing
Review: First Pi, and now this. I have never seen a movie made in the same way as Darren can make them. The camera angles, the great music composed by Clint Mansell hitting at the right time, great acting, and good story material all add up to make an amazing film. I can say nothing but good things about this film.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Film from a talented Director
Review: I first saw this movie as part of Drug Awareness week here at the university. I entered the theater expecting a good movie...as the credits rolled, I found myself staring at the screen, my chest aching and my hands shaking. I am not exaggerating. This is the most intense, emotional film I have ever seen. Aronofsky is brilliant. Ellen Burstyn gives the most powerful monologue on film. The DVD is a must as it contains commentary from both he and directory of photography Matthew Labatique.
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