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Employing shock techniques and sound design in a relentless sensory assault, Requiem for a Dream is about nothing less than the systematic destruction of hope. Based on the novel by Hubert Selby Jr., and adapted by Selby and director Darren Aronofsky, this is undoubtedly one of the most effective films ever made about the experience of drug addiction (both euphoric and nightmarish), and few would deny that Aronofsky, in following his breakthrough film Pi, has pushed the medium to a disturbing extreme, thrusting conventional narrative into a panic zone of traumatized psyches and bodies pushed to the furthest boundaries of chemical tolerance. It's too easy to call this a cautionary tale; it's a guided tour through hell, with Aronofsky as our bold and ruthless host.
The film focuses on a quartet of doomed souls, but it's Ellen Burstyn--in a raw and bravely triumphant performance--who most desperately embodies the downward spiral of drug abuse. As lonely widow Sara Goldfarb, she invests all of her dreams in an absurd self-help TV game show, jolting her bloodstream with diet pills and coffee while her son Harry (Jared Leto) shoots heroin with his best friend Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) and slumming girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly). They're careening toward madness at varying speeds, and Aronofsky tracks this gloomy process by endlessly repeating the imagery of their deadly routines. Tormented by her dietary regime, Sara even imagines a carnivorous refrigerator in one of the film's most memorable scenes. And yet... does any of this have a point? Is Aronofsky telling us anything that any sane person doesn't already know? Requiem for a Dream is a noteworthy film, but watching it twice would qualify as masochistic behavior. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By D. Morrison
Format:Blu-ray
The film itself get's 5 stars as it is one of my favourite movies. The cast, script, direction & editing are all incredible.
I thought I'd be replacing my DVD but crap ... my DVD widescreen director's cut has much in the way of extra's & the Blu-Ray has squat. The extra's are done & in the can, why not include them on the Blu-Ray? When I started buying Blu-Ray's I had the hopes of replacing some of my DVD's on Blu-Ray, but it's happened (too often) that I have to keep both versions because the features on the DVD aren't on the Blu-ray. Getting kinda fed up with it.
I thought I'd be replacing my DVD but crap ... my DVD widescreen director's cut has much in the way of extra's & the Blu-Ray has squat. The extra's are done & in the can, why not include them on the Blu-Ray? When I started buying Blu-Ray's I had the hopes of replacing some of my DVD's on Blu-Ray, but it's happened (too often) that I have to keep both versions because the features on the DVD aren't on the Blu-ray. Getting kinda fed up with it.
By Lorna Lis
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
I first saw this movie on Netflix and loved it. I bought this movie for my friend's birthday and he loves it too. It can get kind of weird at times but those are the kinds of movies I like.
Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase
Do not get this disk. Get the Lions Gate release (available for $9.99 on Amazon.com)
I ordered this disc after having read very positive reviews about the transfer and the extras. Consequently, I was quite surprised, and disappointed, when I received the disc, to discover that it had no extras whatsoever (not even a menu!) and that the video quality was barely similar to that of a scaled un SD DVD, that is, soft and muddy. Major let down!
What I hadn't realized was that the reviews I had read were about the american Lions Gate release of the film, and that the only version available on Amazon.ca was the slightly older (6 months) Alliance release. What contributed to my confusion was that both releases feature exactly the same artwork (except for tiny french title on the canadian one).
If you'd like to see the difference in quality between both transfers, you may compare eloquent screen captures of both releases at http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews44/requiem_for_a_dream_blu-ray.htm
One point to note for my fellow francophones, however, is that the american transfer does not feature a french-dubbed track, nor french subtitles.
Hoping this helps... Now, I'm just about to ask Amazon.ca for my first refund ever...
I ordered this disc after having read very positive reviews about the transfer and the extras. Consequently, I was quite surprised, and disappointed, when I received the disc, to discover that it had no extras whatsoever (not even a menu!) and that the video quality was barely similar to that of a scaled un SD DVD, that is, soft and muddy. Major let down!
What I hadn't realized was that the reviews I had read were about the american Lions Gate release of the film, and that the only version available on Amazon.ca was the slightly older (6 months) Alliance release. What contributed to my confusion was that both releases feature exactly the same artwork (except for tiny french title on the canadian one).
If you'd like to see the difference in quality between both transfers, you may compare eloquent screen captures of both releases at http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews44/requiem_for_a_dream_blu-ray.htm
One point to note for my fellow francophones, however, is that the american transfer does not feature a french-dubbed track, nor french subtitles.
Hoping this helps... Now, I'm just about to ask Amazon.ca for my first refund ever...
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4.3 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent film
Ce film est à caractère très philosophique et très choquant à la fois c'est pourquoi il faut le voir plusieurs fois.
Published 12 months ago by danick
4.0 out of 5 stars
Flawed, but thrilling film-making
Amazing on a purely cinematic level - assaultive, hyper-kinetic, full
of breathtaking images and cuts, The performances too range from good
(Jared Leto) to extraordinary... Read more
of breathtaking images and cuts, The performances too range from good
(Jared Leto) to extraordinary... Read more
Published 24 months ago by K. Gordon
4.0 out of 5 stars
Flawed, but thrilling film-making
Amazing on a purely cinematic level - assaultive, hyper-kinetic, full
of breathtaking images and cuts, The performances too range from good
(Jared Leto) to extraordinary... Read more
of breathtaking images and cuts, The performances too range from good
(Jared Leto) to extraordinary... Read more
Published 24 months ago by K. Gordon
5.0 out of 5 stars
Get this Blu-ray over the other one
There are a tonne of reviews up here already, I wish Amazon would separate the reviews for DVD and Blu-ray rather than clump them all into one. Read more
Published on July 30 2010 by guy from nowhere
5.0 out of 5 stars
An exquisite snapshot capturing the folly of the American Dream
Wow, here is cinematic proof that "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."
It's a a stunning yet disturbing cinematic exploration of how our determination to fulfill... Read more
It's a a stunning yet disturbing cinematic exploration of how our determination to fulfill... Read more
Published on Jan 18 2010 by Victor Campbell
5.0 out of 5 stars
BEST ANTI-DRUG MOVIE I HAVE EVER SEEN!
I was intrigued to buy this movie because of the great many reviews I found online about it. I think I would have been more impacted by the message of the movie had I not read any... Read more
Published on Dec 3 2009 by Sephora Kardas
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Film Poor On Special Features
Let's start this on the good notes, for a starter i love this film and i loved the book they both have so many great qualities. Read more
Published on July 27 2009 by Kory Williams
3.0 out of 5 stars
Bare-bones release of a good movie
Like a number of recent Alliance releases, with the corresponding lower price, the Blu-ray of "Requiem for a Dream" comes with no main menu nor any extras (you change sound options... Read more
Published on Mar 11 2009 by K. Lynch
5.0 out of 5 stars
So more than just another 'drug movie'
Remember the anti-drug commercial where a girl points to an egg, says, "this is your brain," and then screams, "this is your brain on drugs! Read more
Published on Jun 29 2007 by Jenny J.J.I.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Disturbing, Graphic and Great
I went to this movie hearing plenty of buzz about how graphic the content was. Over the course of the movie you see just how Aronofsky wants to send his message to the audience. Read more
Published on July 18 2004 by SID
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