Requiem for a Dream (2000)

The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island individuals are shattered when their addictions become stronger.

Director:

Darren Aronofsky

Writers:

Hubert Selby Jr. (based on the book by), Hubert Selby Jr. (screenplay),

Stars:

Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly

Top 250 #76 | Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 27 wins & 36 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ellen Burstyn	...	Sara Goldfarb
Jared Leto	...	Harry Goldfarb
Jennifer Connelly	...	Marion Silver
Marlon Wayans	...	Tyrone C. Love
Christopher McDonald	...	Tappy Tibbons
Louise Lasser	...	Ada
Marcia Jean Kurtz	...	Rae
Janet Sarno	...	Mrs. Pearlman
Suzanne Shepherd	...	Mrs. Scarlini
Joanne Gordon	...	Mrs. Ovadia
Charlotte Aronofsky	...	Mrs. Miles
Mark Margolis	...	Mr. Rabinowitz
Michael Kaycheck	...	Donut Cop (as Mike Kaycheck)
Jack O'Connell	...	Corn Dog Stand Boss
Chas Mastin	...	Lyle Russel

Storyline

Drugs. They consume mind, body and soul. Once you're hooked, you're hooked. Four lives. Four addicts. Four failures. Despite their aspirations of greatness, they succumb to their addictions. Watching the addicts spiral out of control, we bear witness to the dirtiest, ugliest portions of the underworld addicts reside in. It is shocking and eye-opening but demands to be seen by both addicts and non-addicts alike.

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Plot Keywords:

addiction | dream | friend | drug | heroin | 

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Taglines:

From the director of [Pi]

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for intense depiction of drug addiction, graphic sexuality, strong language and some violence

Details

Official Sites:

Artisan (Flash only)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 October 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Réquiem por un sueño

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$64,770 (USA) (6 October 2000)

Gross:

ESP 15,606,075 (Spain) (29 June 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Artisan Entertainment, Thousand Words, Sibling Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the opening scene you can hear the sounds of a string quartet tuning up for a performance in the soundtrack. Just before the title rolls down, you hear a conductor tap on his music stand to ready the quartet for a performance. The people tuning up are "The Kronos Quartet", who played most of the music for the film. The maestro bringing them to attention is Darren Aronofsky, the director.

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Goofs

When the characters take Heroin, either injected or snorted, the sequence showing their eyes dilating is inaccurate. Opiates produce a constricting of the pupil. However, the dilating is correct when the characters are using Ecstasy and Cocaine.

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Quotes

Sara Goldfarb: [about her pills] Purple in the morning, blue in the afternoon, orange in the evening.
[to refrigerator]
Sara Goldfarb: There's my three meals, Mr. Smartypants.
[back to pills]
Sara Goldfarb: And green at night. Just like that. One, two, three, four.

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Crazy Credits

Ending Credits look like a syringe while scrolling.

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Connections

References The Godfather (1972)

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Soundtracks

"Bugs' Got a Devilish Grin Conga"
Performed by The Moonrats
Marcel Reginatto - Saxophone, Vocals
Brian Emrich - Bass Guitar, Vocals
Oscar Oñoz - Trumpet, Vocals
Theodore Birkey - Keyboards, Vocals
Tico Torres (as Hector Torres) - Percussion, Vocals
Darren Aronofsky - Vocals
Engineered, Programmed and Mixed by James Murphy for DFA at Plantain Recording House NYC

User Reviews

Great direction, great acting, great score, great script combine to produce a great film that is depressing but totally gripping even if it will not be to everyone's taste

Harry and Tyrone are drug users who decide to try and make some money by cutting their cocaine and selling it on. This idea works very well and the pair start filling a shoe box with $20 bills – Harry even buys his mother, Sara, a television to make up for all the times that he used to steal her old one to sell it for cash. Sara has her won good news, after years of being an ordinary lonely widow she has the chance to appear on a television show herself and is actively dieting to try and fit into her favourite dress for it. With Harry's girlfriend pregnant but happily high, things take a bad turn when rival dealers start a war and dramatically cut the availability and up the price – forcing Harry and Tyrone to do whatever they can to get not only a fix but a supply to sell. Meanwhile, Sara's desire to lose weight sees her starting a regime of diet pills, morning, noon and night.

I came to this film with not even the slightest idea of what it was about but only that it was supposed to be 'good'. I was not totally prepared for a story that grabbed me from the start and delivered an intense narrative at breakneck pace with great acting, amazingly stylish directing, editing and production. While this onslaught will not be to everyone's tastes, I defy pretty much anyone not to be astonished by this film although I expect many will find it to be a pretty hard ride. The story sees four characters each getting into addiction and having it cause their lives to spiral out of control – and that's pretty much it. However it is not so much the story but the telling because it is the delivery that makes the film as amazing and compelling as it is; I don't want to oversell it but all aspects of this film come together perfectly. The writing is realistic and, although not containing the speeches that make a cast shine, is really well written and never strikes a bum note. The script writes highs and lows of addiction so very well that it is easy to forget that what you see in the film has come from a script and story boards.

Of course without the delivery then this would have struggled but it is blessed not only with good actors giving great performances but also average actors giving great performances. Burstyn is amazing – and I'm not overdoing that; hers is a fearless performance that is totally, totally convincing. Her descent is so tragic and involving that it is a major art of the story instead of the subplot it appeared it would be. Connelly is the next to stick in the mind, conveying a total peace and beauty when things are good but a terrible sweaty look of inner agony on her face as she degrades herself for drugs – an amazing performance. Leto is not someone I'm that aware of but he was good here and held his own well beside the two actresses. However the actual surprise of the film came from Wayans; I'm so used to hating him in lazy performances that I forgot he can act and he is good here – avoiding all the ethnic clichés that he usually does. McDonald is excellent in his cleverly used segments. It is easy to dismiss his performance as cheesy and easy but he does get it spot on (as the extras on the DVD show). Supporting roles for people of the recognisable likes of David, Baker, Weeks and Naidu only help.

Of course the main impact of the film comes from the relentless direction that not only produces a stylish product but also draws the audience into the highs and lows the characters experience as well as the repetitive rituals of their lives. He also handles the hallucinations really well – making them genuinely disturbing when they come have been silly. I cannot describe it very well but the direction really hits the nail on the head with heavy style and different techniques. Of course, some may feel that they have seen elements of it before and will say of Aronofsky that he has borrowed much of what we see – certainly the front mounted camera on the characters harks back to Mean Streets and Spike Lee to name two, while others will look at the reference to Dark City (even though Aronofsky) or claim that the hyper direction is Trainspotting X10! However to accuse him of just stealing is lazy and nonsensical because he weaves it altogether for the whole running time; this is not a rip off or a fluke, this is a talented director spinning style and substance. The score by Mansell and the Kronos Quartet is perfect and is a wonderful compliment to the images, increasing their impact and making the film feel fast and exciting at times, tragic and moving at other times. These are just two examples but the film is technically impressive – whether it be the different cameras, the make up, the editing, the use of mobile stop motion, it is all impressive.

Overall this is an amazing film but it is not one that will appeal to all audiences. It is bleak, relentless and a hard watch but it is worth it because it grabs you and refuses to let you go until the very end. The film has a simple plot but a great script that is delivered by a collection of great performances – in particular from Burstyn and Connelly. The direction only adds to Aronofsky's reputation and the original score is fantastic. I am rarely left breathless by a film but I was by this one and I honestly cannot believe that this escaped me for so many years.