“Requiem for a Dream” (2000) — Read Along
“Harold, I’m gonna be on Television!”
Part 2 of my Darren Aronofsky odyssey sees us enter the obsessional and destructive worlds of Sara Goldfarb and her son Harry, girlfriend and the “the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen” Marion and their friend Tyrone. Each has their own obsession and compulsive desire to escape their earthbound environs. Each their own life to lead, story to tell and memories they wish to forget. The outside world may be the idyllic backdrop of Coney Island, New York but each character in our heart breaking play is chained to a tiny corner of existence, be it the constantly ringing telephone or the buzzing sounds of a refrigerator or the television that is never off inside the ever closing in walls of Sara’s apartment or the three friends huddled together as they “push off” with their latest drug fix.
The film is claustrophobic, panic inducing, jagged and jolting with time lapsed segments merging with split screens, an eyeball a primary and constant focus together with Tarantino style overhead shots and yet the most sublime of musical soundtracks from Clint Mansell that when heard will no doubt be familiar to millions, loved immediately and never forgotten.
The film is “Requiem for a Dream”, my favourite from director Darren Aronofsky from a lengthening list including incredible films such as “Black Swan”, “Mother!” and “The Whale”, a film that garnered just one Oscar nomination for Ellen Burstyn at the 2001 Academy Awards and, at the time of writing, sits in 91st place on the www.imdb.com top 250 films of all time list with “Oppenheimer” (2023), “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952) and “Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi” in close company.
Welcome to a film that rips me to pieces (how’s that for a recommendation!) and the latest in my “Read Along” series of articles on favourite films of yesteryear whereby I present to you my written spoiler free review (a lengthy one too and originally written over a decade ago) together with a choice of either my Youtube or Rumble channel recording from last Summer of me reading my review to camera. As I suggest (implore?) you at the beginning of the video, it’s a long one so relax, pour yourself a glass of wine and break open a packet of chocolate biscuits and read along with me! You’ll find my original review linked immediately below the brief extract reproduced here as a teasing introduction to the full length review as well as my opus blog article(s) on every film within the cinematic career of Darren Aronofsky, my Youtube/Rumble videos and a link to volume 5 of my “Essential Film Reviews Collection” on Amazon which, should you have an Amazon Kindle “Unlimited” package, you can read each and every volume for free.
Over to you and if you take the ride, I hope you enjoy.
13 years since it’s initial release has not dimmed the power of this incredible second film from Darren Aronofsky. This ground breaking film remains remarkably pin sharp and vibrant 13 years on and a firm favourite of mine. Based on the original book of the same name by Hubert Selby Jr, both Selby and Aronofsky are credited with writing the screenplay to a film that constantly shocks, pulls at the heart strings, is often incredibly difficult to watch but is an absolute triumph. The two main narratives of the film are split between the three dominant Acts of “Summer”, “Fall” and “Winter” and between the lives of four main characters all of whom share highly addictive personalities intertwined within a surreal and heart breaking film. Although loosely a three act structure, Summer is by far the longest of the seasons, with Fall and Winter almost one act in itself. As with Aronofsky’s debut film Pi, the final 35 minutes of this film is a roller-coaster of emotion, heart break and an extremely difficult watch at times and which is signified by the commencement of “Fall”.
At first glance the film appears to be nothing more than a drama surrounding drugs and the addictive lives these substances control, of scoring your next hit and a halcyon vision of life when drugs are in constant supply. There is constant and graphic portrayals of drug taking, of every and any drug available and of their surrealistic highs and lows, the epic “score” and the soul destroying emptiness of being without. As with “Trainspotting” and “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”, this film was criticised early in it’s release for glorifying drug taking but that is both wildly inaccurate and to miss the point completely. Both sides of the coin are graphically depicted and though drugs and drug taking is a clear central key, the overall theme is of obsession and compulsion and of trying to obtain that dream, that halcyon picture of heaven in your life: Be it drugs, television, game shows, dieting and so much more as our characters follow what Hubert Selby Jr describes himself as the “Great American Dream”.
In his book and the adapted screenplay that is so vividly displayed in Aronofsky’s film, every character has a dream to follow and an obsessive desire to achieve this. Sometimes these dreams are purely for selfish attainment, to secure another batch of drugs and enjoy a hedonistic time or simply a reason to continue living, to get up the morning and to face the day ahead. Despite the film’s downbeat themes and dare I say it depressive tones, it is a real triumph with four main character portrayals that each, in their own way, break your heart.
"Requiem for a Dream" - Full Review
"Darren Aronofsky and 6 films for your consideration".
"Requiem for a Dream" - Youtube version
"Requiem for a Dream" - Rumble version
"The Essential Film Reviews Collection" Vol.5
Thanks for reading. If you like the premise of this absurd idea of “Read Along”, then you might also enjoy:
“I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore” (2017) — Read Along
"Oppenheimer" (2023) - Read Along