Actors - Requiem for a Dream

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	Actors - Requiem for a Dream

Requiem for a Dream is a novel written by Hubert Selby, Jr. and first published in 1978. Selby's novel was adapted into a critically praised motion picture in 2000 directed by Darren Aronofsky, starring Ellen Burstyn, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans and Jared Leto (Selby has a cameo role as a prison guard). Burstyn was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in 2000 for her role.

The film depicts different forms of addiction leading to imprisonment in a dream world, which is overtaken and devastated by reality. The soundtrack, described by some as "eerie" and "haunting", was composed by Clint Mansell and performed by the Kronos Quartet. The film was originally tagged with an NC-17 rating by the MPAA due to a haunting montage in the film's finale. Aronofsky appealed the rating, claiming that cutting any portion of the film would dilute, if not outright destroy, its message. The appeal was denied, but Artisan decided to release the film unrated.

Cast

Movie

As in his previous film, π
, Aronofsky uses ever repeating rapid cut scenes, which remain a constant element throughout the whole film, the depiction of pain (not violence), the graphic insight into the characters' minds and the opposition of initially different situations, which result in the very same effect.

Requiem for a Dream is largely considered to belong to the drug movie category (Trainspotting being a somewhat typical example). Yet substance abuse, legal and illegal, is present only as one aspect of the film's true focus: addiction — ever-growing, insatiable, life-consuming addiction. Be it heroin, success, impossible dreams, or even Mrs. Goldfarb's television viewing regimen, Requiem for a Dream digs deeper than drug habits.

Some have criticized the film for an allegedly unrealistic portrayal of drug use, especially as it relates to care given to addicts seeking medical attention. Since it is based on a book from the 1970s, has been criticized for having an outdated perspective on drug use, medicine, and the treatment of mental illness. However Aronofsky has argued in the DVD extras that the film's focus is on addiction (both drug-related and not), rather than drug use; substance abuse by the characters ultimately is simply a tool that he uses to present the larger theme.

Soundtrack

The music used throughout the film was composed by Clint Mansell with string quartets performed by Kronos Quartet. Notable for its use of sharp, untremelloed string instruments to create a cold and discomforting sound from instruments frequently used for their warmth and softness, it was widely praised and has been subsequently used in various forms for trailers of other motion pictures, including the The Lord of The Rings.

Plot

The film tells the stories of mother and son, Sara (Burstyn) and Harry Goldfarb (Leto) and Harry's girlfriend Marion (Connelly) and his friend Tyrone (Wayans), and is signposted into three sections: Summer, Fall and Winter. The story begins in Summer. Sara is an older woman who lives alone in an apartment in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, spending all day in front of her TV set. Her relationship with her son has degraded over the years. This causes her great concern that she is unable to share with others.

When she receives a phone call from a television studio, her life gets a new meaning. She believes to be invited as a guest on a television show. The dream of being popular and sharing her luck with the whole country overwhelms her conception of reality. In order to be able to wear her favorite dress on the show, she starts taking weight-loss drugs. Harry later notices that they might contain addictive stimulants (probably amphetamines, or uppers, as Harry calls them), but she dismisses the thought.

Meanwhile, Harry and his friend Tyrone start to earn their money as drug dealers. The profitable business and the drugs seem to be the fulfillment of dreams for Harry and Marion, but when Harry wants to get closer to his mother again, he is concerned about her use of stimulants.

As addiction plays a larger part in the lives of the four it also affects them more and more negatively as the movie progresses into the Fall. As Sara gets addicted to her pills, she starts having hallucinations, then gets a prescription for valium, as well as increasing her diet pill dosage. Soon she loses what grip she had on her life and is eventually hospitalized. The others' dream burst when Tyrone is arrested and the money they saved is spent to keep him out of prison. Marion and Harry lose the close relationship they had as acquisition of drugs dominates their lives. Harry and Tyrone want to break the spiral by taking a trip to Florida, where they believe an amount of drugs can be obtained for them to use and sell. The trip ends in disaster.

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