10 Best Films of the Decade 2000’s #9 Requiem for a Dream (Darren Aronofsky, 2000): USA
Reviewed by Byron Potau. Viewed on DVD.
At #10 I had the family film Finding Nemo. My choice for #9 could not be more different. Director Darren Aronofsky’s brutal and relentless film, Requiem for a Dream is the ultimate drugs are bad movie, and the first real example that Aronofsky was a director to watch.
Harry (Jared Leto) and Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) are two heroin addicts who decide to start selling to realize their dreams. Harry’s girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly) also gets hooked on heroin. Things begin positively with business booming, but when a drug war between rival gangs breaks out, Harry, Tyrone, and Marion suddenly can’t find any drugs on the street to sell or to inject, sending all three into desperation and eventually their own personal hell.
In a parallel story, Harry’s mom Sara (Ellen Burstyn) gets an invitation to be a contestant on a television show and is suddenly the focus of attention among the women in her apartment complex. She becomes obsessed with losing weight so she can fit into her red dress again. A friend recommends a doctor who puts her on diet pills, but she begins doubling up on her medication when she has adjusted to it causing hallucinations. Her fate ends up no better than the other three characters.
Shot in a fever dream style by director Darren Aronofsky the film is beyond intense. His use of split screens, time lapse photography, extreme close ups, fisheye lenses, and a myriad of other angles and quick edits in conjunction with a creative use of sound effects and a hyper intense score from Clint Mansell amp up the drama to a nightmarish level and convey both the euphoria and the terror of the drug induced state of each character.
The acting in the film is uniformly excellent with Marlon Wayans surprisingly good as Tyrone. It’s too bad he doesn’t get more serious roles. Christopher McDonald also deserves mention as the host of Sara’s favorite television show. Jared Leto and Jennifer Connelly each do some of the best work of their careers in very emotionally charged performances.
The standout among the actors is the Oscar nominated performance of Ellen Burstyn as Harry’s mom. She runs the gauntlet of emotions through desperation, pride, pain, fear, denial, and happiness among others. Her explanation of her loneliness and that being on television gives her a reason to get up in the morning or to lose weight is very touching. Can anyone explain or justify how Julia Roberts won the Best Actress Oscar over Burstyn?
Aronofsky proves himself an excellent director of actors, but also shows he knows how to use style to enhance those performances and the viewers’ experience. His ferocious build to the climax is nothing short of brilliant and, perhaps, the most memorable part of the film.
Some might argue that the film shows a worst case scenario, but the progression is very realistic and one can see it is very easy for things to spiral out of control. Though it is clearly meant for mature audiences I can see this film as a very useful tool for parents to scare the crap out their children and keep them away from drugs. No doubt it has left quite an impression on me as an adult.
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