I’m constantly being bombarded by people telling him “you haven’t seen ____? You gotta check it out.” Or hearing critics rave “this movie is a classic, a must see.” So I decided that from now on every time I actually watch one of these flicks, I’ll write my take on whether the film lived up to the hype or fell short.
So, what’s the deal with Requiem For A Dream?
I recently watched Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream and found it to be a strange film. It has a perfect mix of superb movie-making and gut-wrenching storytelling. When I finished the movie I was impressed with the scale of the story, but overall felt more bummed out than anything.
The cinematography and effects tell a lot of the story. It was very engaging to see them evolve over the course of the film, changing with the characters. I liked that they didn’t try to use camera effects to necessarily replicate drug use, more like demonstrate the characters feelings. It helped make sure that the movie was more about the characters rather than just being a drug movie.
The film became more dramatic as the feelings the characters were experiencing intensified. The cinematography changes to quicker cuts and utilizes more dream-like sequences. The lighting and shooting angles get more drastic as the the characters get deeper into their problems. These aspects stood out far more than they do in other movies.
I think I had the most sympathy for Sarah. Everyone had it bad, of course, but watching Harry’s mother get sucked into drug dependency was terrible because she was naive about the dangers of the prescriptions she was taking. Also, Ellen Burstyn played the role in a way that made me really care about her character. She seems like she could be your neighbor in real life making her very relatable.
The movie certainly hit an unusual level of depressing. Not even so much from the drug abuse aspect, just as a slice of shitty life type film. Requiem for a Dream should not be taken lightly, but if you’re willing to go down the dark path this film offers, there is enough good to soften the blow.
