Requiem For A Dream

2000 – 5/5

JUICE BY TAPPY, JUICE BY TAPPY, WEEEEEEEEE GOTTA WINNER!!!

Plot: A+
The storyline for this movie is pretty simple. There are 4 people and each is consumed with their own drug addiction. This movie highlights the terrifying reality of drug addiction and how it can destroy people’s lives in different ways.

Script: A+

This movie was very well written. Probably one of my favorite screenplays! Some lines I really liked:

Marion: Anybody wanna waste some time?

Tyrone: All I’m saying is we should take a little taste so we know how much to cut. It’s business!

Doctor: I see you’re a little over weight.
Sara Goldfarb: A little? I have 50 pounds I’m willing to donate.

Sara Goldfarb: Purple in the morning, blue in the afternoon, orange in the evening and green at night. Just like that. One, two, three, four.

Harry: Well, uh, I’m sort of a distributor like for a big importer.

Harry: Hey ma, you on uppers?
Sara Goldfarb: I told you I’m going to a doctor.
Harry: What does he give you? Does he give you pills?
Sara Goldfarb: Course he gives me pills. He’s a doctor.

Sara Goldfarb: How come you know more about medicine than a doctor?

Acting: A+
Harry (Jared Leto) is a junky, as is his friend Tyrone (Marlon Wayans), his girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly), and eventually his mother Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn). As the movie goes on, each one of them becomes more dependent on drugs, which leads them to their inevitable fates (amputation, prison, prostitution, and insanity).

I really enjoyed everyone’s acting and more so the characters themselves. My favorite character in this movie was Sara Goldfarb and Ellen Burstyn did an amazing job portraying this naïve and vulnerable lady who thinks she’s taking ‘diet pills’ that were prescribed by her doctor. I also really liked Christopher McDonald’s character Tappy Tibbons; JUICE BY TAPPY!

Random:
The cinematography in this movie was amazing and the editing was probably the most noticeable part of this movie! I read on IMDB that this movie had more than 2,000 cuts, while most movies have 600-700 cuts. I liked the split screens, close ups, fast-forwards and the variety of camera angles. To some extent I think the subject matter of this movie deserved a highly stylized form of editing; it portrays how frantic and chaotic an addiction can be.

The music (score/ soundtrack/ sound effects) was SO good! It was perfectly paired with whatever was on screen and it added the right amount of tension and intensity to the overall mood.

The makeup, hair and outfits were very well done. Each actor looked the part and they were all believable in their roles.

Overall: A+
I want to mention is that although it was the most disturbing movie I’ve ever seen, I could not look away. With that being said, it is not a movie I can watch over and over again – perhaps once every couple of years…oh, and I’m scared shitless of my fridge now! I think this movie will leave a lasting impression on the viewer, but I don’t think this movie is for everyone.