Requiem for a Dream review – a dark visceral look into drug culture

‘The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island people are shattered when their addictions run deep.’

There seems to be no shortage of the “Drug film” these days. It certainly has been a staple genre over the last few decades, with arguably the most iconic being Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting (1996), which soon we’ll be getting a belated sequel too (is nothing sacred). Off the top of my head we’ve also had Half Nelson (2006), The Basketball Diaries (1995), Blow (2001) and Traffic (2000) to name just a few.

Each of these films explore different aspects of drug culture but the one that stands out among them, in my opinion, is Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream which came out way back in 2000 and you can now find hidden within your Netflix catalogue [July 2016 – Netflix UK]. I want to spend a few moments looking at why this film is a cut above the rest and why it deserves your time.

Darren Aronofsky should be enough of a reason to watch Requiem for a Dream. It was only his second feature, after his equally good debut Pi (1998) and already he had honed his craft and unique approach that would mark him as a director to watch out for. He is one of those film makers who has a very distinct style and theme running throughout all his films. Although each of his movies have been very different in content and genre, whether it’s a sports film in The Wrestler (2008), a Biblical epic in Noah (2014), or even body horror with his ballet film Black Swan (2010), there is a common theme running throughout his work: obsession.

All of the character’s in Aronofsky’s films are obsessed with one thing or another. This obsession becomes all-consuming and usually has a detrimental effect on everything around them including their relationships. In some cases you can see the physical toll that obsession takes on them. For example, in his film The Fountain (2006), the main character played by Hugh Jackman is driven and compelled to solve the problem of death. After his wife falls ill and ultimately dies he can’t accept it, and becomes obsessed with curing death itself. It’s a very fantastical film with an unconventional, non-linear plot. Suffice to say the main character ends up journeying time and space to find answers. Even in his adaptation of the Noah story, Aronofsky re-imagines the character as a fanatic extremist with an absolute devotion to carrying out God’s plan of wiping out Mankind.

Requiem for a Dream is no exception, as it deals with the obvious obsession of drug addiction. Like many of his other films it is also extremely visceral and engages the emotions on a very raw level. Most drug films are informative or at most character driven, but with this one Aronofsky, through creating a very distinct visual style, is able to draw the audience into the mentality of being high and the disorienting effects it has. The plot itself is straightforward enough, mostly centring around Harry (Jared Leto), his girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly) and best friend Tyrone (Marlon Wayans), who are all addicted to heroin. We also have Harry’s widowed mother Sara (Ellen Burstyn), who is a comfort eater and wants to lose weight so decides to take diet pills.

What elevates this story above the more traditional drug film is that it goes deeper than just looking at the substance and the effects it has on the body and mind but explores the psychology of addiction in a far more broader scope; it asks the question: What is an addiction?

We can see Aronofsky make a direct correlation with this idea in Sara’s story. Although she is not dependant on heroin like her son, she is addicted to food and the comfort it gives her to the point that she starts having withdrawal symptoms when she begins dieting. Similar to the withdrawal Harry and his friends go through when they run out of drugs. She then becomes dependant on the diet pills she takes and increases the dosage as her body builds up a tolerance to the medication.

It’s a very tragic story. As the film progresses, each character becomes more enslaved to their addiction, lose their grip on reality, and end up isolated from each other. Aronofsky does an amazing job of throwing the audience right into the turmoil of these characters lives. Through various camera techniques and angles we’re able to get a real vicarious experience.

SnorriCam is used extensively, this is where a camera is attached to the actor’s body and directly facing them so when they move their face appears still but everything around them is moving. This causes a very jarring sense of vertigo which pulls you right into the character’s disorientation and confusion. Every time the characters take drugs, time lapse photography is used and montages of extremely short shots (sometimes coined “hip hop montages”) to portray the dizzying highs of being on drugs and the way time seems to move differently. 

To show an increasing sense of isolation Aronofsky also uses quite a few split screen shots and extreme close ups. Even when characters are together ee will sometimes split the screen to give that impression that although together, these people are still very much alone in their own personal hell.

Visual flair would mean little though without believable performances to ground the story, and all of the main cast bring their A game to the table. They all show a great level of commitment to the roles and seamlessly portray their transformation as their addictions progressively take hold and wear them down emotionally, mentally, and physically. Ellen Burstyn especially stands out, and her transformation from lonely older lady to mentally unhinged drug dependant is really something to behold. It’s a heart breaking performance, which deservedly got her nominated for an Oscar.

‘Requiem for a Dream is not an easy film to watch.’

I certainly wouldn’t use the word “enjoy” to describe your viewing experience of it, but it is a well-crafted piece of cinema from a visually gifted director. It’s also an incredibly subjective film which will emotionally draw you in from the start and won’t let you go until the end credits are rolling.