The film is about 4 peeps, who are connected to each other & drug addicts in one way or another. We observe their lives over the course of a summer as they all strive to find happiness & then over the subsequent seasons through to winter. Even though everything begins to fall apart for each of them they all continue to cling to their dreams in the hope that 'in the end, everything's all right'.
The film is about 102 mins long & stars: Ellen Burstyn (The Exorcist - need i say more!), Jared Leto (Girl Interrupted, Fight Club & American Psycho), Jennifer Connelly (Labyrinth!, Dark City) & Marlon Wayans (he and his brothers are the ones responsible for Scary Movie). Their performances are billiant & heart retching, you feel & connect with everyone of them. But especially Ellen Burstyn who delivers one of the greatest on screen performances I have ever seen, its indescribable she just got it so right & shines through in this movie, all the main characters do, but her performance really caught my attention.
The film is split into 3 seasons: Summer, Fall & Winter, as we progress through these seasons the further the main characters are pulled into the downward spiral they've climbed aboard. The soundtrack to this film is the best I've heard in a recent film for a while, best of all everything you hear on the soundtrack is in the film & every second of music in the film is on the soundtrack. You don't miss out on anything & the soundtrack isn't there to just get the latest popular groups single associated with a film to aid promotion.
The original music is done by Clint Mansell (Pi, The Hole, Resident Evil) who has made the soundtrack more of an extension of the film. The soundtrack is also split into 3 seasons & as we progress through the seasons the music becomes more disorganised, chaotic & distorted (much like my writing). The main theme, which is just a fantosstic piece, a blend of classical quartet playing & digital samples, is used in every season but with a different section emphasised in each season. For example, in the fall section the repetitive backing strings are bought out more & made higher, almost like a siren warning the characters about their impending fall. The style of the film and cinematography also reflects this, as the music & film get more chaotic & the charcters lives fall apart the camera work becomes more shaky and frequently unfocuses the background, while the editing becomes sharper & more sudden. All aspects of the film are beautifully synchronised in conveying what we are being told. Even independently they work well, I only have to listen to a few tracks from the soundtrack & it brings back all the emotions it evoked when i first saw the film, meaning I'm repetatively reaching for the tissue box.
This is a film which brilliantly demonstrates the devastation that addiction can have on peoples lives. Even thought the film progressively shows the main characters losing to their addictions, an even perspective is given. For example, in the first 'season' of the movie we see all the charctrers on their way to obtaining their dream: Harry & Tyrone making heaps of cash from their drug deals, Marion & her plans to open a store are in action & Sara improving her lifestyle in preperation for being on the TV.
I could seriously write & analyse this film for ages theres so much in it. I saw it in the early months of 2001 & i still think about this film alot & everytime i watch it, which went into double figures quite a while ago, i see or feel something new. Requiem for a dream is the most emotionally intense film i have seen so far and it deals with alot of taboo & serious issues. I just cant recommend it enough really, its a serious must.
Finally if you could like a copy of the script then just email me askin for it and i'll send you a copy : ) |
