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Requiem for a Dream
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
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
Pi
Patterns exist everywhere: in nature, in science, in religion, in business. Max Cohen (played hauntingly by Sean Gullette) is a mathematician searching for these patterns in everything. Yet, he's not the only one, and everyone from Wall Street investors, looking to break the market, to Hasidic Jews, searching for the 216-digit number that reveals the true name of God, are trying to get their hands on Max. This dark, low-budget film was shot in black and white by director Darren Aronofsky. With eerie music, voice-overs, and overt symbolism enhancing the somber mood, Aronofsky has created a disturbing look at the world. Max is deeply paranoid, holed up in his apartment with his computer Euclid, obsessively studying chaos theory. Blinding headaches and hallucinogenic visions only feed his paranoia as he attempts to remain aloof from the world, venturing out only to meet his mentor, Sol Robeson (Mark Margolis), who for some mysterious reason feels Max should take a break from his research. This movie is complex--occasionally too complex--but the psychological drama and the loose sci-fi elements make this a worthwhile, albeit consuming, watch. Pi won the Director's Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. --Jenny Brown
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A reasonably priced combination of two of the more interesting US 'indie' films of recent years,
By
This review is from: Requiem for a Dream & Pi (DVD)
Both of these first two films by Darren Aronofsky have much
to recommend them. Viewed together, they show the start of one of the truly original voices in film today. I don't always love all elements of Aronofsky's films, but I always respect him for his willingness to take on big themes, and tell stories in unique and challenging ways. Here are my comments on these two films; Pi - so odd, brave, idiosyncratic and haunting, that I forgive it it's flaws. Made on a shoestring, but using those limitation to create a unique look and style, this is a psychological thriller about paranoia and ideas, that puts you inside the lead character's head as he slowly cracks up, trying to figure out the mathematical basis of all life. He gets mixed up with Hassidic Jews who think he may have found the true name of god, and wall street traders who want his secret for riches. Full of surreal touches, it's not always clear what's real and what's in our lead character's head - but rather than being annoying, that only pulls you in deeper. To me it recalled great surreal earlier films like "Eraserhead", and "Seconds", but on speed. "Requiem for a Dream" - 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 (Ellen Burstyn). But for me, after a while, the style becomes the substance, and I'm ever more aware of the filmmaking rather than the story and characters, Also, other than 'drugs are bad', I'm not sure what Aronofsky is really getting at. There are interesting implications that our real addiction is to our dreams, and escaping whatever our reality is, but those themes are never fully played out. So we end up with a film made with the technical skill of a Scorsese or Kubrick, but missing a layer of depth in favor of (admittedly amazing) pyrotechnics. Last, it feels like the film 'cheats' more on reality as it goes along. By the end the story twists start to join the style in being over the top, and a bit illogical. Now, all that carping aside, I still recommend this film for it's bravery, performances, and technical virtuosity. And it grew on me on a 2nd viewing. And I'm a fan of Aronofsky's. But I'm in the minority in admiring this film, but not being able to completely embrace it.
5.0 out of 5 stars
See the world trough the eyes of madness,
By
This review is from: Requiem for a Dream & Pi (DVD)
"Pi"
Story: The film was based on a living person Maximillian Cohen who is a mathematical genius but who also suffers from serious mental illness. The film explores his world, his obsession with "pi", trying to prove that there is a pattern to everything. As we follow him on his quest, we are also witnesses to his neverending severe migraine attacks, hallucinations and paranoia. The only reason why I appreciate this movie is because it really gives impression that you are looking trough Cohen's eyes. You know what he feels and you end up feeling sorry for him because it seems as if you were the only person who understands what it is to be in his shoes. The director Darren Aronofsky who also made The Fountain and is working on Robocop, made sure that shots, camera angles, imagery are dramatic in such a way so that the story was told in a visually most powerful and realistic way. Same thing can be said for Requiem for A Dream. This movie is disturbing from beginning till the end. It tells a story of 3 heroin addicts who are trying to become dealers and also one of the character's mother, who does not know what her son is doing, is exploring "alternative" ways to lose weight fast by taking prescription drugs. Movie follows theif fall, the mother who is losing touch with reality as she starts to overdose herself with "diet" pills, her son and his friend who are becoming more and more dependant and the son's girlfriend who is trying to get drugs by any means possible. The movie is very tough to watch because the scenes are "rough", very realistic, very disturbing. I like this movie mainly because it does not praise drugs at any moment but it shows the ugly side in a very contaversial way which is almost non-existant in today's Hollywood movies.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Flash of Reality,
By
This review is from: Requiem for a Dream/Pi (DVD)
I recently viewed the film Requiem for a dream and was extremely shocked. I have never seen a movie like this before in my life. A mix of sex, drugs, and vulgar language make Requiem for a dream not appropriate for a young audience, but i agree with many critics that this film should be viewed by every high school student. It teaches you about reality and how rough it can be when people start to do drugs. Everything is all good to begin with, but then there is a downside to it. No one has an endless amount of money to get drugs so in conclusion you must have to do something to recieve that money. Not everything in life is peachy keen, and some people are willing to do just about anything to aquire this drug money. Thats what makes this film almost like a slap in the face. You almost can't believe that you are seeing it. Your eyes widen and you may have to cover them. All i can say is Requiem for a Dream has made quite and impact on my life, because i learned things that i might have never learned. And i am only fourteen.
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