Requiem For A Dream: Director’s Cut

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Dan Owen reviews

Requiem For A Dream: Director’s Cut
Distributed by
Momentum Pictures

    Cover

  • Cert:
  • Cat.no: MP 021D
  • Running time: 97 minutes
  • Year: 2000
  • Pressing: 2001
  • Region(s): 2, PAL
  • Chapters: 18 plus extras
  • Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
  • Languages: English
  • Subtitles: English
  • Widescreen: 1.85:1
  • 16:9-Enhanced: Yes
  • Macrovision: Yes
  • Disc Format: DVD 9
  • Price: £15.99
  • Extras: Director’s Commentary, Deleted Scenes (with Director’s Commentary),Tappy Tippon’s Life Story Feature, “Making Of Requiem For A Dream” (Documentarywith Director’s Commentary), “Memories, Dreams & Addictions” (Interview byEllen Burstyn), Anatomy Of A Scene, Theatrical Trailer, TV Spots

    Director:

      Darren Aronofsky

    (Pi)

Producer:

    Eric Watson & Palmer West

Screenplay:

    Hubert Selby, Jr & Darren Aronofsky

(Based on the novel by Hubert Selby, Jr.)

Music:

    Clint Mansell

(with string quartets performed by Kronos Quartet)

Cinematographers:

    John Alcott & Geoffrey Unsworth

Director Of Photography:

    Matthew Libatique

Editor:

    Jay Rabinowitz, A.C.E

Cast:

    Sara Goldfarb: Ellen Burstyn
    Harry Goldfarb: Jared Leto
    Marion Silver: Jennifer Connelly
    Tyrone C. Love: Marlon Wayans
    Tappy Tibbons: Christopher MacDonald

Requiem For A Dream follows the everyday lives of four citizens of ConeyIsland; couch-potato Sara Goldfarb, her son Harry (a closet drug-addict),his fellow junkie girlfriend Marion, and their mutual addict friend Tyrone.The film chronciles a full year as their personal addictions gradually ruintheir lives.

Darren Aronofsky’s first major Hollywood production following his indie-hitPi, is a startling and unsettling movie that disturbs and enthralls inequal measure. Aronofsky proves himself to be highly adept at visual/audiomovie-making, employing the grittiness and technical wizardy of DavidFincher (Seven) and Guy Ritchie (Snatch) with the tangible atmosphericsof David Lynch (Blue Velvet).

The narrative of the film is very straight-forward, and intentionally so.Aronofsky perfectly shows the mundanity and depressive underworld of drugaddiction, and never lets it achieve a quasi-coolness a laTrainspotting.Above all else, Requiem For A Dream should be mandatory viewing for anyonewith a drug problem, or anyone thinking of entering that costly lifestyle.

Aronosfky’s film utilizes almost every trick in the filmmaking book;slow-motion, time-lapse, mutliple split-screens… creating a gruellingsensory experience that captures the altered state of consciousness eachcharacter enters into at various points throughout the film. At times,Aronofsky’s over-reliance on visuals goes too far, especially when theacting becomes lost amongst breakneck editing, but for the most part it’s aneffective tool.

Performances are exemplory across the board. Ellen Burstyn is wonderful asSara Goldfarb, the smothering urban mother who’s struggling to stick to adiet for her appearance on television. Burstyn was nominated for an Oscar in2001 and it’s quite simply a travesty that she didn’t win… with everypassing minute she excels in her role. Certainly surpassing what JuliaRoberts’ performance inErin Brockovich!

Jared Leto and Jennifer Connelly are also impressive. The underrated Letoholds the screen with his boyish goodlooks and quiet demeanour, whileConnelly exudes a sassy charm that hides her character’s more calculatingnature. Marlon Wayans is also a revelation in a dramatic role, as he’s knownmainly for his comic roles in films such asScary Movie.Sadly, hischaracter is given short thrift compared to the others, and never becomes adominant player, but the screentime he is given he makes good use of.

With a unanimously perfect acting quarter, sublime imagery, powerful audioand sheer courage to tackle its subject matter, Requiem For A Dream is agreat movie. However, it’s very… *very*… downbeat. I’d have to say thisis probably the most frown-inducing film I’ve ever seen. The oppressiveatmosphere and depths of despair the characters sink to is so experlybrought to life, the film literally leaves you numb afterwards. The final 20minutes in particular are frighteningly sick, and perhaps the bestanti-drugs advert ever made.

Musically, the film’s score is mainly comprised of about 2-4 main tracksthat burn a hole in your head with their regular beats and ice coolatmospherics. The score was obviously designed to irritate and get insideyour mind with its distinctive sound and nightmarish repetition… and itworks wonderfully well with the movie’s imagery. Scary stuff.

Overall then, Requiem For A Dream is a fantastic movie on almost everylevel, although its plot could perhaps have been better expanded. As it is,the film is a well crafted visual odyssey supported with great performancesand while it’s never a *pleasure* to watch, and unlikely to be the kind offilm you’d *want* to watch again (unless you’re in a particularly happy moodyou want to get rid of!), the power it encapsulates sucks you into itsnarrative and slowly builds to a blisteringly punishing third Act that makesit unforgettable, powerful, movie-making. Aronofosky is a talent to watch.

The DVD Extras are a satisfying companion to the film, providing the keyingredients a film like this mostly deserves: directory’s commentary,deleted scenes, and a “making of” documentary. However, we are missing theRegion 1 Director Of Photography’s Commentary by Matthew Libatique.

The menu screen is stylish, and choosing an option plays one of the rapidlyedited sequences from the film. The Extra’s are found under the heading’JUICE’ and comprise:

  • Director’s Commentary:Darren Aronofsky comments on his movie, managing to give some goodinsights on the gruelling movie, although it would have been nice ifmembers of the cast were also available to give their thoughts.
  • Anatomy Of A Scene:Director Darren Aronofsky provides insight into the making of certainscenes of the movie, which proves to be very interesting and certainlyworth watching.
  • Making Of “Requiem For A Dream”:One of those excellent behind-the-scenes documentaries filmed on camcorderby a crewmember, with commentary later added by Darren Aronofsky. Theproblem with the properly sanctioned “making of” docs is that they’reusually geared towards selling the movie, so come across as interestingpromotional adverts… but these ‘dirtier’ “making of” docs are far moreinteresting and provide a keen insight on the film’s creation. Aronofskygives a good commentary, too.
  • Deleted Scenes:The half-dozen or so deleted scenes are mostly part of the same segementcut from the film, and are interesting but deservedly absent from themovie. Aronofosky’s commentary gives added interest.
  • Tappy Tippon’s Life Story Feature:This novel feature is basically the TV show infomercial starringChristopher MacDonald that Ellen Burstyn watches every day. It’s a blacklyhumorous satire on crass American “edutainment” and worth a watch – althoughit’s a little long.
  • Memories, Dreams & Addictions:Ellen Burstyn interviews the film’s writer Hubert Selby, Jr. Quite aninteresting little interview, although hardly compelling viewing.
  • Theatrical Trailer:Excellent trailer that manages to communicate the tone of the film verywell with its use of snappy visuals.
  • TV Spots:Basically, the trailer re-edited with a voice-over and review quotes foruse during commercial breaks on American TV. Very stylish, veryaccomplished, however.

    Overall, a strong DVD package that benefits the movie and provides some goodinsight into the creation process behind Requiem For A Dream. Heartilyrecommended.

    FILM CONTENT
    PICTURE QUALITY
    SOUND QUALITY
    EXTRAS


    OVERALL
    Review copyright © Dan Owen, 2001.

    Visit the officialRequiem For A Dream.comwebsite.

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