Requiem for a Dream

(Darren Aronofsky/2000/USA)

The cinematic style of Requiem for a Dream felt very familiar as I watched and then it hit me in one shot, a low angle close up of Ellen Burstyn with blue sky backdrop, the heat of the summer palpable, the dialogue delivered in such a way that Rumblefish sprang to mind. A similar style permeates both films, the use of soundtrack, montage shots and time lapse sequences to imply time passing, lots of close ups and dialogue enveloping everything as if delivered in a closet. I’m not saying it’s a clear copy of styles but there’s a cross over for sure, a shared feel to both films. As an adaptation of Hubert Selby Jr this is always going to be an edgy exercise, I haven’t read the book so can’t compare the two but the script was written in collaboration with Selby Jr so everything on screen is assumed to be author approved. The film is an excellent treatise on addiction. Aronofsky uses editing to pace scenes and relay the physical state of the characters, quick jittery cuts mean they’re high on uppers, slower cuts with woozy soundtracks indicates opiates and more deliberate and focused editing and dialogue scenes relate soberness. The four seasons are used to break the film into chapters, each one creeping further into addiction and degradation. The only misstep for me is the relatively sharp transition from casual drug use to full blown dependency. Personally I thought the descent could have been slower. As a result as the end approaches and the editing becomes more manic, building to a cinematic climax that reflects the nadir point for each character onscreen, the pathos of the closing scenes of the results of their vices seems a little contrived. A little bit of style over substance then but still an incredibly accomplished film that packs a gut punch. The original score by The Kronos Quartet is a treat too.

(3.5/5)