Beystiman
It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.
Maidexpl
Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast
Erica Derrick
By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
DerekB
It's hard to say if Requiem for a Dream was made to shock and disturb, or tell a suspenseful and intriguing story. One way or another, it succeeds at both by showing the horrible effects of crime and addiction can have on people.Some of the acting and camerawork can come off as sub-par at times, but it's easy enough to get past since the vast majority is spot-on. Many scenes use time lapses and multiple shots playing on different parts of the screen. These kind of effects are used to amazing effect and add a lot more artistic flair each sequence.Something a lot of people neglect to think about when talking about movies is the sound design, and I don't think I've ever experienced better use of sound design than in Requiem. Music is playing nearly constantly throughout the movie, and makes scenes that are already very intense and emotional have even more potency. At one point, I actually nearly fell out of my chair because I thought something had shifted in my room when a sound effect was positioned perfectly.The problem I have with Requiem is that for about 20% of the movie, I just felt sick from just how horrible the situation was. I suppose that really is the strongest thing about Requiem, and why I think a lot of people would really hate watching it. I'd say that anyone who likes drama or tragedy would likely enjoy it, even if it's a bit much to take in at times.
dmw-56271
Requiem for a Dream follows the impact that drugs have on a group of four people living in Brooklyn. The characters, Mother, Sara Goldfarb(Ellen Burstyn), Son, Harry Goldfarb(Jared Leto), Girlfriend Marion Silver(Jennifer Connelly) and best friend Tyrone Love( Marlon Wayans).
Sara feels trapped in her apartment with no real identity. Her son Harry takes advantage of her for his drug use, along with the help of his friend Tyrone. The girlfriend Marion of Harry, is a spoiled and detactched rich girl with a seemingly good heart. The theme of this film is one of despair and lost identity. Sara has the opportunity to be on a game show she watches daily. As she tries on her favorite dress from Harrys graduation she sees that she cannot fit. The memories of the dress remind her of a happier (and thinner) time. Her neighbors encourage the use of diet pills and thus starts her decent into mental instability, weight loss and paranoia of her refrigerator. The director makes use of loud metal grating sounds as the refrigerator taunts her. Harry and Marion are polar opposites in class and choice of drug. She is affluent and uses prescriptions to party, where as Harry is chasing low cost heroin to support his high. The lost identity of Marion as a poor little rich girl in Harry's world further highlights this despair as she attempts to fit in his world. Including varying degrees of prostitution and self degredation. Tyrone and Harry plan to buy drugs, cut them and sell so they can make it out of the despair their constant search for drugs costs them. A deal gone wrong takes the money they have been saving and forces Marion to see that her escapisim with drugs requires actual action on her part. The lighting used for interior scenes in Sara and Marion's apratments are low and stark. The colors of grey, black and white do not change even when the drugs are in their system. The jump cut of getting the drugs ready, the dialated eyes and heavy breathing share the viewer as a participant in the rush. The despair and lost identity in this film are mirrored by Valley of the Dolls. Another film where despair is supplemented by drugs and the lost identity they try to replace. The mania, outbursts and destruction have the same feel to the viewer. Requeim for a Dream is a more than appropriate title for this movie. The despair and chase of the illusive dream life are haunting to watch, yet riveting to the emotions the film brings to life
Doug Burr
This film sucks. It is so overrated that it is not even funny. I am just sick of seeing so many 9/10 & 10/10 reviews for this crap film. It is all style over substance. At times it has decent visuals, a good soundtrack and okay acting, but the story is terribly mediocre. What I am about to say should not qualify as a spoiler, because I am keeping it so vague. The moral of the story really is just 'heroin is bad'... Are you kidding me? everyone knows that, especially heroine users. This film may use graphic nudity and violence to make that point, but there really isn't any more to it than that. Drugs are bad m'kay, and they can destroy your life. Everyone knows that, there is nothing clever, deep or profound about this trash. I think I might hate this film's fans even more than the actual film. They all think they are so bloody clever and anyone who doesn't like it, must just not have the patience or sophistication required to absorb such a modern masterpiece blah blah blah Bull S***!!! This film is completely overrated, don't waste your time.
BA_Harrison
Jared Leto plays Harry, a junkie who, along with pal Tyrone (Marlon Wayans), hopes to make a killing buying drugs and reselling it on the streets; meanwhile, Harry's mother Sara (Ellen Burstyn) becomes dependent on uppers in a bid to lose weight ready for an appearance on a TV game show. As time passes, Harry winds up with an infected arm, his girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly) resorts to prostituting herself for her next fix, his mum goes completely loopy, and Tyrone ends up in prison.I understand that, having graduated from film school, a young director will be keen to show off some of what they have learnt. In Requiem for a Dream, Darren Aronofsky goes all out, chucking in everything including the kitchen sink. Not one second goes by without a 'cool' film-making technique being thrust in the viewers face, whether it be split screen, time lapse, rapid repetitive editing, or Snorricam. It's all there, to such an extent that it pulls the viewer out of the film, as opposed to immersing them (which I believe was the intention).Aronofsky is so enamoured with his clever visual trickery that he neglects to develop his characters beyond the basics or tell a decent story beyond the bleeding obvious: that drugs are bad.
