You gaze down at your last hit. It could be a syringe, a tablet, some powder, it could be a beer or a shot of vodka. You try desperately not to grab at it, you’re in cold sweats just thinking about how calm it’ll be when you take it. It’s not about feeling good anymore, it’s about feeling anything at all. The long exhale of pleasure as your body calms, sinking into the lounge and not having a care in the world. Then you feel it. Not the hit. The dark, undying sense of self-hatred. You’re an addict. It might have started with a night out, but that was years ago.
I sat down to my first viewing of Darren Aronofsky’s ‘Requiem For A Dream’ about a week ago. I consider Aronofsky a titan of psychological films. Whether it’s the pathological pursuit of love in ‘The Fountain’, the failure of self-love in ‘The Whale’ or the stress of dedication in ‘Black Swan’. If it’s an Aronofsky film, you’ll be coming out rethinking everything about yourself. I already knew ‘Requiem’ was one of his most disturbing works, but knowing and experiencing are two very different things.
Based on the novel of the same name and written by the same author and Aronofsky himself, ‘Requiem’ follows the lives of four New Yorkers who balance their life goals with their intake of narcotics. Three of the main characters, Harry, Marion and Tyrone deal drugs for a living while the fourth and most tragic, Harry’s mother Sara, starts taking diet pills so she can fit in a red dress in anticipation for a chance to appear on a game show. As they all struggle with their addictions, their worlds fall apart, their realities crumble, and piece by piece, they destroy themselves.
Jared Leto plays Harry, Marion’s boyfriend, who deals drugs with Tyrone. While he commits questionable acts, even from the very start of the film, you empathise with him. He wants what’s best for his mother and his friends and Leto portrays this accurately. Sometimes his New York accent makes his dialogue laughable, but he successfully portrays the downtrodden hero, his back to the wall, begging for a way out to make things right. Jennifer Connelly plays Marion and her transformation is astounding. Her and Leto’s chemistry is palpable. Despite the drugs, her innocence still shines through, which makes her descent all the more heartbreaking. Connelly’s acting as the drugs take over and everything blends together is particularly haunting. Her walk down the apartment hallway as if she’s a zombie is burned in my mind. In one of his few dramatic roles, Marlon Wayans plays Tyrone. Wayans’s portrayal is more a friend than an addict. His journey is similar to Harry’s, but his impoverished past, makes it more meaningful. Wayan’s shows Tyrone’s hope to make something of himself perfectly. Your heart sinks whenever he looks to his mother’s photo. However, I believe his character deserved more screentime. Lastly, Ellen Burstyn plays Sara, in perhaps the most tragic plotline. Sara’s dedication to a fading dream is tear-jerking. She spends most of the film in isolation from the rest of the world, only interacting with her friends and family a handful of times. Burstyn effortlessly shows the anxieties of not being enough, even when the scene only requires her to sit on an old couch. The reason this plotline is more disturbing than either of the others is because it could be your mother, your grandmother, or even your sister. And all because she wanted to fit into a dress.
It’d be criminal of me not to discuss the cinematography, Aronofsky is at his best here. Prioritising close-ups and staining lights with shades of pale blue and green towards the latter acts. One particular shot that is still imprinted is of Wayan’s as he screams behind jail bars. The shot shudders left and right, looking like a fuzzy old TV but moving like your right hand having withdrawals. The whole film is claustrophobic, never allowing you space to breathe and alas, one of the only shots letting you escape and back away from the characters comes when it’s too late.
Mason’s Top 3 Reasons To Watch ‘Requiem For A Dream’
- The most effective PSA’s on drug use ever filmed.
- A heart-wrenching performance by Ellen Burstyn that will have you drowning in your own tears.
- One of the most bittersweet endings I’ve ever seen since ‘Iron Claw’ and ‘Her’.
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