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Requiem for a Dream (2000)
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Storyline
The hopes and dreams of four ambitious people are shattered when their drug addictions begin spiraling out of control. A look into addiction and how it overcomes the mind and body. |
Backdrops
The Director
 Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky (born February 12, 1969) is an American film director, screenwriter and film producer. He attended Harvard University and AFI to study both live-action and animation. He won several film awards after completing his senior thesis film, "Supermarket Sweep", which went on to become a National Student Academy Award finalist.
Aronofsky feature debut, π, was shot in November 1997. The low-budget, $60,000 production, starring Sean Gullette, was sold to Artisan Entertainment for $1 million, and grossed over $3 million; Aronofsky won the Directing Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and an Independent Spirit Award for best first screenplay. Aronofsky's followup, Requiem for a Dream, was based on the novel of the same name written by Hubert Selby, Jr. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Ellen Burstyn's performance. After turning down an opportunity to direct Batma n Begins, Aronofsky began production on his third film, The Fountain.
With his fourth film, The Wrestler, both of the film's stars, Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei, received Academy Award nominations. Rourke also won a Golden Globe for Best Actor and Bruce Springsteen won for Best Original Song for his title song. Aronofsky's latest film, Black Swan, received further critical acclaim and many accolades, being nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director, four Golden Globes including Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Director, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, a record 12 BFCA nominations and a DGA nomination.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Darren Aronofsky, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
User Reviews
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Reviews of the Past: My First Aronofsky - Intense Requiem Indeed
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From March 9, 2008:
As I hinted in my previous entry, this week's Netflix movie was Requiem for a Dream. I have to begin this review with qualifiers because I can already tell you that this was not my favorite film in the world. It does not pass any test I have; I could never watch this again. I've watched a few drug movies in my day, and some sit better with me than others, but this is definitely not one of those. I knew this movie was going to be hard to watch by virtue of its subject matter. I knew, with its NC-17 rating, that I was going to have to resist any squeamish impulses and see if I could appreciate the art of the film. I consider it a personal triumph whenever I muster the courage to sit down and watch a film like this.
In college, I went through a phase of watching movies with dark themes, including addiction movies. The art houses in Ann Arbor seemed to favor playing those movies, and I distinctly remember going to see movies like Trainspotting and Leaving Las Vegas in those theaters. I wasn't very fond of those either. What Requiem for a Dream has that those movies don't have, however, is a visual presence that goes beyond creative, though at times it can be gimmicky. I can see what all the fuss about Aranofsky is about - he has a fresh perspective on a concept not new to film.
In Requiem, Harry (Jared Leto) and Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) are drug dealers and best friends. Marion (Jennifer Connelly) is seeing Harry and is in on the business. They are always looking for their next big score to distribute, but they always seem to use up their own supply faster than they make the money, not to mention the fact that the streets of New York are ...
View full review
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reviewed by Pippin2010 (Filmaster.com) on the 4th of February 2010
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The second Aronofsky film I ever saw and the first one I thought was truly great.