Darren Aronofsky's Pi was a highly original and
visually stunning feature debut that not only made
maths look cool, but also based its entire plot around
scientific equations. The director's second feature,
Requiem for a Dream, is an adaptation of a novel
written by cult U.S. author Hubert Selby Jnr. and is
an equally imaginative urban nightmare that uses many
of the same tricks as Pi to create some truly
devastating effects.
This bleak film follows a year in the lives of four
residents of New York's Coney Island district, all of
whom battle with some form of addiction. Sara (Ellen
Burstyn) is a lonely Jewish widow who is obsessed with
television and chocolate. When she receives a phone
call out of the blue to tell her that she has been
selected to appear on her favourite game show, she
decides to lose weight for the big day and becomes
addicted to slimming pills. Her son Harry (Jared Leto)
is a drug addict who plans to get rich by dealing
heroin with his best friend (Marlon Wayans). However,
Harry starts to use as much as he sells, and
subsequently falls into a series of arguments with his
junkie girlfriend (Jennifer Connelly).
In the opening minutes of Requiem for a Dream,
Aronofsky hits the viewer from every angle imaginable.
He speeds up scenes, uses split screens and abrasive
close-ups, mixes in punchy visual sequences, and makes
effective use of an inventive soundtrack filled with
hypnotic beats (supplied by former PWEI front man
Clint Mansell, who also scored Pi). Mansell's score
fuses classical music with electronica and so is the
perfect match for Aronofsky's own unique style of
filmmaking, which samples a diverse selection of both
images and sound effects.
Requiem for a Dream manages to match its distinctive
style with some assured acting from an accomplished
cast, many of whom give their best performances to
date, especially Leto and Connelly who share an
impressive chemistry as the drug-fuelled lovers whose
tender relationship spirals towards destruction. At
the centre of the film is Ellen Burstyn (The
Exorcist), who as Sara gives an astonishing and
heartbreaking portrayal of despair that makes for
increasingly uncomfortable viewing. The script
crackles along like Selby's original prose (the author
worked on the screenplay with the director and
actually makes a brief appearance in the film) and the
plot is rooted in the writer's usual grimy territory.
Aronofsky skilfully handles the variable tone of the
piece, by including several comic scenes along the way
before finally unleashing a brutal closing montage
that will leave you shell shocked.
Go and see Requiem for a Dream, get hold of the
novel, buy the soundtrack (and the forthcoming remix
album) and then count the hours until Aronofsky's next
feature. This is a modern masterpiece.
Reviewed by Chris Wiegand
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