Requiem for a Dream

Requiem for a Dream (2000) is perfection, in every sense of the word.

I had already watched halfway through the movie when my brother suggested we watch it together, from the beginning. I did not throw a tantrum as a sister should, but gladly obliged. Why, you ask? Well only because this movie was so awesome. In fact, it was so awesome, I could watch it all over a dozen times without ever getting bored.

As most good movies, this one is also based on a book. It was published as a novel by Hubert Selby, Jr. in 1978 under the same title.

Set in New York. this gripping story is based around four interconnected characters, whose simple dreams are shattered by the substances they seek refuge in.

Harry (Jared Leto, vocalist of 30 Seconds to Mars) and Marion (Jennifer Connelly) are lovers. They play the naive and rebellious youths whose love and dreams seem to them invincible. Harry's mother (Ellen Burstyn) is a lonely widow. Living in a shabby apartment and troubled by her only son's behavior, she finds solace in television and food. But her world is filled with a hope and happiness akin to that of youthfulness when she receives an invitation to be on TV. She prepares eagerly, dyes her hair and goes on a diet. Following a neighbor's suggestion she sees a doctor who can help her shed pounds faster. She begins a regiment of diet pills that not only help suppress her appetite but also make her feel good.

Harry's friend Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) dreams of "making it" and escaping the oppression of the ghetto, and it is with his help that Harry gets into a business of working as a "sort of a distributor like for a big importer." With the quick money they make, Harry and Marion dream of starting a small business- a clothes boutique for which Marion excitedly starts designing.

But by the end of Summer, their lives begin to spiral out of control, as one by one, they begin to succumb to their own addictions.

I cannot tell you what I loved more about this movie- the perfect cast, the beautiful plot, the creative editing,  or the mind blowing theme music. In fact, I got so excited about the music- a minimal and edgy mix of electronic and classical- that I downloaded the entire album.

This movie is enticing. It calls you over to the dark side and gives you a taste of the forbidden fruit. But when the fall begins, and as the characters you watched grow with new-found hope, begin to crumble, trust me, you will be scared.

I was. I was suddenly very afraid.

I hope this movie takes you on an equally good trip. Here is some music to give you a foretaste.