Jennifer Connelly Movie:

Editorial Review:
Employing shock techniques and sound design in a relentless sensory assault, Requiem for a Dream is about nothing less than the systematic destruction of hope. 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 (both euphoric and nightmarish), and few would deny that Aronofsky, in following his breakthrough film Pi, has pushed the medium to a disturbing extreme, thrusting conventional narrative into a panic zone of traumatized psyches and bodies 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.

The film focuses on a quartet of doomed souls, but it's Ellen Burstyn--in a raw and bravely triumphant performance--who most desperately embodies the downward spiral of drug abuse. As lonely widow Sara Goldfarb, she invests all of her dreams in an absurd 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 careening toward madness at varying speeds, and Aronofsky tracks this gloomy process by endlessly repeating the imagery of their deadly routines. Tormented by her dietary regime, Sara even imagines a carnivorous refrigerator in one of the film's most memorable scenes. And yet... does any of this have a point? Is Aronofsky telling us anything that any sane person doesn't already know? Requiem for a Dream is a noteworthy film, but watching it twice would qualify as masochistic behavior. --Jeff Shannon

Requiem for a Dream [Region 2] Reviews:
Ellen Burstyn's performance was cathartic
2009-12-09 - I only saw this movie once, on cable a few years ago, so my memory of it is not crystal clear. Except for one scene, which I have never forgotten. It was the one, near the end, where Ellen Burstyn's character receives shock treatments. Her amazing performance, along with the brutal, unwavering camera angle and direction, combined to produce the most electrifying, riveting sequence I can recall ever seeing in a movie, the effect seeming to put the viewer inside the character in that instant. It was as if at that point the movie reached out and grabbed the viewer, dragging them down onto that table, as if the frantic, primal screams of the observed were pulled from the observer. I marveled at the fecund cynicism by which this was concocted. I found myself laughing heartily, my guffaws born of admiration for the sheer outrageousness of it. It's the truth, I will not lie; but to those who may find this a callous or inappropriate response to the scene, I should remind them that this is acting, on a make-believe set, which is how I saw it, and my appreciation was for the filmmaking technique itself, and the manner in which it was executed. All is illusion on the screen. It's not real. She wasn't really having megavolts of electricity run barbarically through her brain by an apparatus more at home in the Dark Ages (though still in use). But the acting! Stupendous! Magnificent! For me this was the climax of the movie, the catharsis, the axis upon which the entire production turned, and well worth the price of admission. Bravo, Ellen Burstyn, et al!

As previously indicated, Requiem for a Dream made an impression---so much so that I went to some length to find out the name of it, having forgotten. I'm going to avoid all the phony moralizing about drugs that seems to attend some reviews of this movie, on this and other sites. In life, stuff happens. You can blame it on whatever fetish you choose. I'll just say that I intend to see Requiem for a Dream again.

In my humble opinion, any movie worth seeing twice is a good movie.

Wow... Just Wow. Very Brutually Honest Indeed.
2009-10-30 - A great film that is just so well done in all aspects you've come to expect from a movie (except that "Feel Good" feeling after watching the movie). The tragedy of this film was so sad because it reflects off the realities of real life which is usually not a perfect happy Hollywood ending and I appraise it for being so. The plot was very well done and had me cheering for the characters to reach their dreams they have set to pursue even though the world around them was beginning to collapse. It was as if every time something bad happened to one of the characters I would say to myself "It can't get any worst than that" but tragically, it does. I would recommend this film to those who loves a good drama as this film is packed with plenty of that.

Drugs are Bad
2009-10-24 - If you have a sick desire to feel depressed for the rest of the week then I highly encourage you to watch Requiem for a Dream. There is nothing redeeming about this movie. You will watch people destroy their lives for two hours, and then the movie ends. I don't know what message the filmmaker is trying to make here, but the only thing I could make out is "Drugs are Bad". I've only been told the same thing over 1000 times throughout my childhood. Thanks for the original message, Mr. Director.

Furthermore, this movie is very simplistic in how it portrays America's drug problem. Not every old lady who takes diet pills turns into a nutcase. Not every chick who uses H turns into a whore. Yet 100% of drug-using characters in this movie are destroyed by the drugs they take. Requiem's anti-drug message isn't insightful, it's propaganda.

Do your self a favor and skip this film.

dare you look away
2009-10-21 - basically, this is a horror film that deals with real issues. It's not about vampires and it doesn't feature a bunch of unexplained murders with cartoonish body counts, but it is scary as heck, just watching the worlds of these people fall around them as a result of their addictions. The film is a little plain looking, but it's got enough verve to please most filmgoers who don't strictly watch chick-flix and romantic comedies etc....and the director does indeed PAINT the picture, not just build it with sets and actors. In other words, this film has a healthy beating heart that is sure to elevate your heart rate, as opposed to many of the lifeless "Oscar-worthy" films out there (i.e.: The Motorcycle Diaries, etc.....).

"I just want to be on television"
2009-09-01 - I have an idea, and that I idea is to show every drug related class in america "Requiem for a Dream". It will haunt your dreams forever, and make you never want to pick up even a cigarette. It's not a pleasant experience to watch, but is nonetheless amazing and unforgettable. It follows the lives of four regular people in brighton beach brooklyn:

Sarah Goldfarb: A older woman who has these big dreams of seeing herself and son Harry on television, in the dress she wore back in her prime.(She is played magnificently by Ellen Burnstyn, who deserves every oscar she can get)

Harry Goldfarb; A good kid, who like many others takes the wrong path, and wonders into the drug trade with his pal tyron.

Marion Silver: Harry's girlfriend, who in desparation for drugs turns to doing unthinkable things.

Tyron. C.Love: Harry's business partner. As a young boy, he didn't want nothing more then to make his mother proud, by becoming successful.


Each get addicted to different types of drugs "Mainly speed and crack", and for 120 minutes we stare in horror as each of their lives sink further into a gaping hole of despair. Aronofoski uses different types of techniques like slowly down time, random loud noises, and shooting everything from a fishcam angle, to make an authentic experience of being on drugs. And it works. We as the audience feel as if were becoming insane, the scene where Sarah's refridgerator attacks her has got to be one of the most disturbing things I've ever witnessed. In the end all of their lives and dreams are crushed(what you were expecting a happy ending?)and we are left to cry for these poor souls. But out of all of the sorrow "Requiem" makes us feel, something really good comes out of it. A warning.