'Requiem For A Dream' Review: A Harsh Reality, Perfectly Told!


⭐ Requiem For A Dream ⭐ Review ⭐ 8.4/10 ⭐

There's no question this is a movie of extremes; Aronofsky uses punchy editing and camera tricks galore to convey the rush of drugs of the characters, right down to the cellular level. By the end the protagonists are literally curled in fetal positions, robbed of everything by their addiction. The conundrum for filmmakers trying to depict the seductive power and destruction wrought by drugs is walking that fine line between making "getting high" look too good on one hand, and on the other hand going too far with the Message stuff and preaching a finger-wagging sermon.

But the skillful, surreal camerawork, and the sympathetic characters -- none of them want to be your typical Al Capone, they just want to be happy -- make this more than just the proverbial "classroom scare film." Perhaps the most important story, in fact, is Sarah Goldfarb's, who breaks no law in her addiction to amphetamines (diet pills) but ends up as brain-damaged and ruined as any junkie thanks to an impersonal medical-institutional establishment that hands out pills like candy.

Leto, Wayan's and Connelly all gave believable performances, it felt natural; three young, promising lives quickly deteirate thanks to the wrath of drugs/addiction. The star of the flick was no doubt, Ellen Burstyn, she took it to another level, absolutely riveting performance that deserved an Oscar.

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