In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a plan to assassinate Nazi leaders by a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers coincides with a theatre owner's vengeful plans for the same.
Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn) is a retired widow, living in a small apartment. She spends most of her time watching TV, especially a particular self-help show. She has delusions of rising above her current dull existence by being a guest on that show. Her son, Harry (Jared Leto) is a junkie but along with his friend Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) has visions of making it big by becoming a drug dealer. Harry's girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly) could be fashion designer or artist but is swept along in Harry's drug-centric world. Meanwhile Sara has developed an addiction of her own. She desperately wants to lose weight and so goes on a crash course involving popping pills, pills which turn out to be very addictive and harmful to her mental state.Written by
grantss
When prepping for her Oscar campaign, Ellen Burstyn was being persuaded by the producers to campaign as Best Supporting Actress. Shocked by this notion, she rightfully refused. The producers felt she was guaranteed to win if she was placed in the Supporting Actress category. Eventually, Julia Roberts won for Erin Brockovich (2000), a win that caused an uproar with fans and demanded a recount from the Academy in Burstyn's favor. See more »
Goofs
(at around 1h 7 mins) When Harry and Marion get in to a fight, at the exact moment that Marion says "You promised me that everything was going to change", the shot is clearly flopped, as indicated by her bangs and the angle of her head compared with the rest of the scene. See more »
Quotes
Harry Goldfarb:
I always thought you were the most beautiful girl I ever seen.
Marion:
Really?
Harry Goldfarb:
Ever since I first saw you.
Marion:
That's nice, Harry. That makes me feel really good. You know, other people have told me that before, and it was meaningless.
Harry Goldfarb:
What, 'cause you thought they were pulling your leg?
Marion:
No, no, not like that. I mean, I don't know. I don't know or even care if they were. Just from them it was... just, just meaningless, you know? You say it and I hear it. I really hear it.
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Crazy Credits
Ending Credits look like a syringe while scrolling. See more »
Alternate Versions
Available in both the uncut, unrated version and an edited R-rated version (mainly for conservative rental stores like Blockbuster.) See more »
You will not so much as want to take a sip of wine after watching this mesmerizing film about the horrors of drug addiction. I was not a fan of director Darren Aronofsky's debut film "Pi," but with this movie he proves to be a filmmaker of unlimited vision and style. Four characters in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn are all driven to despair due to their drug abuse, the saddest being Ellen Burstyn as a nice Jewish widow who unwittingly becomes addicted to prescription diet pills that help her lose weight but drag her into a world of hallucinations and paranoia. Burstyn is superb. It is so refreshing to see such a great veteran like her in such a challenging leading role, one in which she goes through a hell worse than that in "The Exorcist."
But this is a director's film if there ever was one. Aronofsky knows how to tell a story in a way that is dazzling in its use of sound, editing, and cinematography. The score by the Kronos Quartet and Clint Mansell is the most striking movie music I have heard in a very long time.
"Requiem for a Dream" is not a movie for everyone. It is the essence of independent filmmaking, a daring, engrossing, artful film that stays with you long after you leave the theater. Hollywood bubblegum this ain't.
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You will not so much as want to take a sip of wine after watching this mesmerizing film about the horrors of drug addiction. I was not a fan of director Darren Aronofsky's debut film "Pi," but with this movie he proves to be a filmmaker of unlimited vision and style. Four characters in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn are all driven to despair due to their drug abuse, the saddest being Ellen Burstyn as a nice Jewish widow who unwittingly becomes addicted to prescription diet pills that help her lose weight but drag her into a world of hallucinations and paranoia. Burstyn is superb. It is so refreshing to see such a great veteran like her in such a challenging leading role, one in which she goes through a hell worse than that in "The Exorcist."
But this is a director's film if there ever was one. Aronofsky knows how to tell a story in a way that is dazzling in its use of sound, editing, and cinematography. The score by the Kronos Quartet and Clint Mansell is the most striking movie music I have heard in a very long time.
"Requiem for a Dream" is not a movie for everyone. It is the essence of independent filmmaking, a daring, engrossing, artful film that stays with you long after you leave the theater. Hollywood bubblegum this ain't.