Requiem for a Dream (2000)

User Rating:

8.5/10   

Director:

Darren Aronofsky

Writers:

Hubert Selby Jr. (novel)
Hubert Selby Jr. (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

27 October 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

From the director of [Pi]

Plot:

The hopes and dreams of four ambitious people are shattered when their drug addictions begin spiraling out of control.

Plot Keywords:

Cult Favorite | Drug Pusher | Art | Surrealism | Coney Island New York

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 20 wins & 34 nominations

Cast

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

MPAA:

Rated R for intense depiction of drug addiction, graphic sexuality, strong language and some violence. (edited version)

Runtime:

102 min | South Korea:100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:NC-17 (original rating) (certificate #37726) | Iceland:16 | South Korea:18 | Brazil:18 | Denmark:15 | South Africa:18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (edited version) | Canada:R (director's cut) | Chile:14 (re-rated) | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Japan:R-15 | Mexico:C | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R(A) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:Open (rating surrendered: 2000) | USA:R (censored video version)

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Artisan Entertainment

Trivia:

Cameo: [Hubert Selby Jr.]The author and co-scriptwriter makes a brief cameo as one of the prison officers supervising Tyrone (Marlon Wayans).

Goofs:

Factual errors: 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.

Quotes:

Harry Goldfarb: This is our only chance to make it big.
Tyrone C. Love: C'mon baby let's do this... naturally.

Movie Connections:

References Za ginipiggu 6: Peter no akuma no joi-san (1990) (V)

Soundtrack:

Bialy & Lox Conga

"Requiem" Is a Heavyweight

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.