Films To Watch Before You Die #19 - Requiem for a Dream (2000)

D.J. Haza presents the next entry in his series of films to watch before you die…

Requiem for a Dream, 2000.

Written and Directed Darren Aronofksy.
Starring Jared Leto, Ellen Burstyn, Marlon Wayans and Jennifer Connelly.

Today’s film to see before you die is based upon the novel of the same name written by Hubert Selby Jr. Requiem for a Dream is a dark tale of drug addiction, delusion, desperation and destruction with some visceral images and an unnerving soundtrack.

The story follows Sara (Burstyn), her son Harry (Leto), his girlfriend Marion (Connelly) and their friend Tyrone (Wayans) over a period that sees each of them addicted to drugs and becoming desperately dependant upon them until their lives are destroyed.

Sara becomes addicted to weight-loss amphetamines after being accepted onto her favourite game show and wanting to fit into her favourite red dress. After upping her dosage, Sara suffers with amphetamine psychosis and believes that she in fact the main star of the game show and that her refrigerator is a living monster.

Harry, Marion and Tyrone are addicted to heroin and in order to try and realise their dreams they get involved with buying and selling the drug to raise money. However, when Tyrone is involved with a drug gang assassination they use what money they have made to post bail for him. As the police crack down on drugs it becomes more and more difficult to get hold of heroin and the three of them become deprived of their fix. As desperation takes hold and the three of them need a hit Harry convinces Marion to have sex for money in order to feed their habits and a rift forms in their relationship.

Sara ends up in a psychiatric hospital where she undergoes electric shock therapy and her mind slips totally away from her. Harry and Tyrone head down to Florida looking for heroin, but Harry has a badly infected arm from jacking up and they call into a hospital. Tyrone is arrested for skipping bail and ends up doing hard labour in prison whilst Harry has his arm amputated. Marion ends up the star in sex show parties where she is paid in heroin to romp with another women in front of a group of men.

Requiem for a Dream is a film you must see before you die because it is such an emotive film that it will send shock waves through your body. The visual directing style used by Aronofsky is shuddering and visceral as he really elevates the edgy feeling of the film with his choice of camera angles and movements. The editing and original soundtrack also help emphasise the dirty feeling of the film’s themes and the end montage is so painful to watch that you feel like a drug addict yourself. No other director manages to emote such dark feelings from screen to audience.