Requiem for a Dream
 | This article possibly contains original research. (September 2007) |
| Requiem for a Dream | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Darren Aronofsky |
| Written by | Novel: Hubert Selby, Jr. Screenplay: Darren Aronofsky Hubert Selby, Jr. |
| Produced by | Eric Watson Palmer West Scott Vogel (co-producer) |
| Starring | Ellen Burstyn Jared Leto Jennifer Connelly Marlon Wayans Christopher McDonald |
| Music by | Clint Mansell |
| Distributed by | Artisan Entertainment |
Release dates | October 6, 2000 (limited) November 24, 2000 |
Running time | 102 min. |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $4,500,000 |
| Box office | $7,390,108 |
Requiem for a Dream is an Academy Award nominated 2000 film adaptation of a 1978 novel of the same name. The novel was written by Hubert Selby, Jr.. The film adaptation was directed by Darren Aronofsky, and starred Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, and Marlon Wayans. Burstyn was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance.
The film depicts different forms of addiction, leading to the characters' imprisonment in a dream world of delusion and reckless desperation, which is then overtaken and devastated by reality.
Plot
The story's main characters are mother and son, Sara (Burstyn) and Harry Goldfarb (Leto), Harry's girlfriend Marion Silver (Connelly), and Harry's friend Tyrone C. Love (Wayans). The novel and the movie both deliberately move through three phases: summer, fall and winter.
The story begins in summer with Sara, an elderly widow. She lives alone in an apartment in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, and spends all day in front of her television watching infomercials. Her only other comfort is food, which has led to her being (in her own view) somewhat overweight. Harry only shows up at her apartment periodically to pawn her television in order to finance his drug habit.
When she receives a phone call purporting to be from Malin & Block, a television studio, her life suddenly takes on new purpose. She believes she is to be invited as a guest on an infomercial she watches. She still has the red dress that she wore to Harry's graduation, one of her proudest moments, and she becomes obsessed with her dream of wearing it on the show, for which she must lose weight. She dyes her hair a vibrant red to match the dress. After failing her diet, she visits a doctor who irresponsibly prescribes her amphetamines. Harry later notices from Sara's behavior (a newfound effervescence, as well as compulsive teeth grinding) that her pills are likely an addictive stimulant and begs her to stop taking them. Sara, in an impassioned monologue, explains to Harry the loneliness she's felt since her husband's death, and that the weight she has lost and the chance to be on television give her purpose and a reason to live. Harry promises afterwards to come and visit more often, with Marion. On the ride home, Harry is visibly upset, but soothes himself by injecting heroin.
Meanwhile, Harry and Tyrone start to earn their money as drug dealers, hoping to one day have enough money to score a pound of pure heroin. Excited for the future, Harry and Marion begin making plans to open a store to sell Marion's clothing designs. Tyrone views the sudden success as the key to escaping the harsh realities of the street and getting back on track in life.
As the fall arrives, Sara becomes gradually more dependent upon her pills, progressively increases her dosage and starts having hallucinations. When she takes her concerns to her doctor, he gives her a prescription for Valium. Her hallucinations become increasingly severe, frequently featuring herself as a guest on the infomercial (Tappy Tibbons' Hour of Power) or else her refrigerator moving violently, and she steadily slips into psychosis.
The others' dreams soon burst as well; Tyrone is arrested after Brody, his friend and main drug source, is murdered by rival dealers. Harry and Marion spend the money they have saved so far to bail Tyrone out of jail. Over the next few months, it becomes far more difficult to score, as uncut heroin is no longer available from regular dealers. They struggle to buy enough each day to support their growing habits, gradually forgetting about their plans for the future. As heroin begins controlling their lives, Harry's relationship with Marion deteriorates; at its lowest point, Harry persuades Marion to have sex with her former therapist to earn money for a supply of drugs. After Marion has sex with the therapist, her relationship with Harry begins to deteriorate rapidly.
Tyrone receives information that a new batch of drugs will soon be available. The drugs are being sold by one of the few dealers with high-quality heroin left, as a 'gift' (though the price has doubled from its previous level) for the addicts during the Christmas season. At the meeting, in the stock room of a grocery store, Harry and Tyrone arrive to buy, but a violent confrontation drives away the dealer before they can get anything. Marion, meanwhile, is waiting at home, destroying her designs and the rest of the house in a fit of withdrawal-induced rage.
Sara, meanwhile, has still not received an invitation to be a contestant, and addiction to her diet pills has also been growing. She has been taking more and more pills, and her hallucinations have been intensifying accordingly. She takes her largest dose so far, and has an especially disturbing hallucination, in which the studio set of the infomercial she has been watching takes over her apartment, and exaggerated, cruel versions of the crew, audience, and even herself (as a guest on the show) mock her. Her refrigerator lurches forward and opens up as if to eat her. Sara, terror-stricken and delirious, runs from her apartment wearing her prized red dress and heads for the television studio in a desperate attempt to find out what is going on.
During the winter, Harry and Tyrone decide to drive to Florida, where they believe heroin will be more easily available. Harry realizes that the arm he injects heroin into is becoming severely infected. Ignoring the problem, he injects directly into the wound, believing the heroin will act as a pain-killer. His condition worsens rapidly, and Tyrone insists that they find a hospital. After Harry checks in, the doctor (played by Spider-Man co-star Dylan Baker) realizes from the nature of his infection that he is a drug addict. The doctor reports Harry and Tyrone to the police without providing treatment, and the two are arrested.
Meanwhile, Marion pays a visit to Big Tim (Keith David), a drug dealer she knows will give away heroin for sexual favors. After having sex with Big Tim, Marion receives a modest supply of heroin. Big Tim informs her she can get more at a party he's throwing next Sunday. He doesn't specify what exactly she will have to do to earn it, but she knows it will be sexual in nature. At first, Marion declines the offer, and leaves feeling physically sick from a sexual encounter with Big Tim. Big Tim, no stranger to addicts, says to her, "See you on Sunday." When her initial stock of drugs runs out, she indeed returns for the party.
Sara is hospitalized, after a dramatic incident at the television station. While in the hospital, Sara is restrained, drugged and force-fed by the indifferent medical staff. One doctor tries to communicate with her, to find out what she has taken in order to help, but by this point she is quite unable to make any coherent reply.
In jail, Harry uses his one phone call to finally contact Marion again. The two share a heartbreaking moment of connection.
The story climaxes as the lives and dreams of the four chief protagonists finally and decisively collapse. Harry's arm is amputated in a hospital after his infection, worsened by the refusal of treatment at the hospital and in jail, leads to gangrene; Sara receives painful and ineffective electroconvulsive therapy and almost completely withdraws from reality; Tyrone stays in jail, where his withdrawal and labor are both punishing, and is subject to abuse at the hands of racist jail officers; and Marion attends Big Tim's party, where she and another woman perform degrading sex acts on a table, such as "ass to ass," surrounded by drunken and aggressive businessmen.
Following these scenes, the film concludes with a last look at the four protagonists. Harry sees Marion on the edge of a pier about to commit suicide, he runs over to Marion but she has jumped off before he can reach her. Then Harry walks backwards and walks off the pier falling into the earth. Harry wakes up in the hospital, asking for Marion. The nurse by his side assures him she will be sent for, but Harry realizes that he has no hope of winning her back. Sara, emaciated and catatonic, is now in a mental hospital. Two of her friends from the apartment building where she used to live (one being the very woman that suggested the irresponsible doctor in the beginning) visit her, and are aghast to the point of tears by the state she has been reduced to. Tyrone is shown lying down for his first night in jail, obviously in a great deal of pain from withdrawal, dreaming of his long-dead mother. Marion is seen back at the apartment after the party, hugging a substantial bag of heroin with a haunted grimace. All four scenes end with the character in a fetal position lying down except Harry, who tries but can't because his amputated arm won't allow him to: it is suggested that he is the only character who can no longer escape into a fantasy. The last sequence of the movie shows Sara's last dream: her long-awaited infomercial show appearance. She wins a prize: her son, Harry, now a success. Mother and son hug and say how much they love one another through the cheers of the crowd and the glowing stage lights.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| 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 Kurtz | Rae |
| Janet Sarno | Mrs. Pearlman |
| Suzanne Shepherd | Mrs. Scarlini |
| Joanne Gordon | Mrs. Ovadia |
| Charlotte Aronofsky | Mrs. Miles |
| Abraham Aronofsky | Newspaper Man on Train |
| Darren Aronofsky | Partygoer (uncredited) |
| Mark Margolis | Mr. Rabinowitz |
| Sean Gullette | Arnold The Shrink |
| Stanley B. Herman | Uncle Hank |
| Keith David | Big Tim |
| Dylan Baker | Southern Doctor |
| Ben Shenkman | Dr. Spencer |
| Ajay Naidu | Mail Man |
| Hubert Selby, Jr. | Laughing Prison Guard |
Production
The film rights to Hubert Selby, Jr's book Requiem for a Dream were optioned by Scott Vogel for Truth and Soul Pictures in 1997 prior to the release of Pi.
Rating
In the United States, the film was originally tagged with an NC-17 rating by the MPAA due to a sex scene. Aronofsky appealed the rating, claiming that cutting any portion of the film would dilute, if not outright destroy, its message. The appeal was denied, so Artisan decided to release the film unrated. [1] An edited version of the film was released on video, rated R. This version had the sex scene shortened, but kept the rest of the movie identical to the unrated version. This R-rated version was only distributed in video store chains such as Blockbuster as well as some family-oriented department stores such as Target. The edited version contains an alternate title card featuring the words "Requiem for a Dream Edited Version" ensuring that the viewer is aware that the version they are watching is not the original.
In the DVD commentary, Aronofsky implies the "ass-to-ass" scene was based on something he actually witnessed; in the book the particulars of Marion's prostitution are not described.
Themes
Requiem for a Dream belongs to the genre of "drug movies", along with films like Trainspotting, Spun and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. However, the film is not only about substance abuse, but also about addiction in a wider sense: the characters are variously addicted as well to television, impossible dreams, old memories, coffee, food, chocolate, diet pills, sex, or to success. Aronofsky concentrates on the theme of addiction rather than just drug abuse looking at how we become ever subject to these addictive products of our modernizing society. Things such as junk food, junk TV and "Junk" AKA "Drugs" in general. The harshness of the film comes from the portrayal of the addictions. As well as narratively introducing them, Aronofsky also uses Summer, Fall, and Winter to show the different times of the addictions. Summer is a happy playful time where everything seems fine. Anything seems possible as does the "DREAM" of becoming something which all the characters share. Fall starts and the characters begin to diminish and die a little. A mark of infection on Harry's arm appears and Sara becomes increasingly skinnier and withered. By Winter all the characters become destroyed by their addictions and end in the final potent scene where each withdraws to the fetal position, only comforted by their self hatred and their dreams. They close their eyes and dream of what could have happened.
In the book, Selby refers to the "American Dream" as amorphous and unattainable, a compilation of the various desires of the story's characters. All the characters use some form of addiction as a substitute for the actual fulfillment of a dream, choosing immediate sensory placation over a struggle for some higher good. Selby explains the title of his book in this context — it is a requiem for some specific dream ("A" dream) as opposed to the larger, overarching "American Dream" ("THE" dream). While an individual dream can wither and die, the American Dream is persistent and cannot be easily overcome, certainly not by those who are so entangled in it that they cannot see it.
All of the characters in the movie hold on to memories of better times and long for meaningful connection with others. These, along with the fantastic dream worlds and delusions they gradually withdraw into, are violently and jarringly shattered in the film's dénouement by the bleak and brutal reality of their present circumstances. In the DVD commentary for the film, Aronofsky stresses the idea that by choosing to escape reality with denial and delusion, the characters are only destroying themselves further. The hopes they have for connection with each other and with their happier pasts give way as they are separated and subjected to indifferent and exploitative treatment at the hands of strangers. Many people consider this to be the most depressing movie ever made.
Style
As in his previous film, π, Aronofsky uses montages of extremely short shots throughout the film (sometimes termed a hip hop montage). While an average 100-minute film has 600 to 700 cuts[2], Requiem features more than 2,000. Split-screen is used extensively, along with extremely tight closeups. Long tracking shots (including those shot with an apparatus strapping a camera to an actor, called the Snorricam) and time-lapse photography are also prominent stylistic devices.
The movie's climactic scenes are cut together rapidly, and are accompanied by a score which increases in intensity. After the climax, there is a short period of serenity during which idyllic dreams of what may have been are juxtaposed with portraits of the four shattered lives.
The movie's montage style has been widely imitated and parodied since the film's release. The Simpsons parodied the effect in the episode I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can in which Homer Simpson becomes addicted to Krustyburger's new sandwich, the Ribwich. It was also parodied in the Drawn Together episode "The Lemon-AIDS Walk", an episode of Sealab 2021, a commercial for Nescafé, and Shaun of the Dead
The music video for "That's What You Get", a 2008 single from Tennessee-based band Paramore, features very similar cinematography like Requiem, including the split-screen effect.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was composed by Clint Mansell and performed by the Kronos Quartet. It is notable for its use of sharp, string instruments to create a cold and discomforting sound from instruments frequently used for their warmth and softness (an effect pioneered in film soundtracks by Bernard Hermann).
The soundtrack has been widely praised and has subsequently been used in various forms in trailers for other films and series, including The Da Vinci Code, Sunshine, Lost, I Am Legend, Valley of Flowers and the video game Assassin's Creed. More specifically, a version of the recurring theme was re-orchestrated for the The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers film trailer.[3] This version is often known as "Requiem for a Tower". It has also been featured in many other commercials and trailers, and as remixes on other artists' albums. For example, psytrance giants G.M.S. are widely known for their mix of the song, titled 'Juice by GMS'. Lil' Jon's track, "Throw It Up" uses a sample from the main theme as the beat.
The soundtrack also confirmed its popularity with the remix album Requiem for a Dream: Remixed, which contained new mixes of the music by Paul Oakenfold, Josh Wink, Jagz Kooner and Delerium, among others.