Aronofsky is amazing. I regard him as the premier emerging talent, and see him with more talent than most of the best out there of hyper 90s imagery(i.e. fincher). Requiem is a complete rush. A tragic rush that hurts. Has anyone else seen it? It is not really entertainmnet, but more or less an experience that should be required viewing material for all students, instead of the SAY NO TO DRUGS crap which does not work. Requiem basically takes you to hell, and leaves you there, squirming, kicking, gasping for air, all because of addiction. That is why I go to the movies. To experience, not to eat popcorn and see explosions.

RFAD left me numb, barely able to drive, blink, or able to watch TV as I got home. Instead I sat there, looking at my wall in my room untill the effect of the film lessened some three hours later. Wow. Amazing impact for a film.

The music is brilliant. Moody, moving, sad, hyper, like Fight Club only with feeling and emotions, in that case maybe better.

Film ****/****
Score ****/**** The theme is still stuck in my head, although I may not wnat to bring back the horros this film inflicted by listening to the music, I may have to run out there and buy the score anyways since it is so odd, and amazing.

Everyone should see this film and Memento. Requiem for a Dream and Memento are the only two films that truly stand out of the hundreds of films out there, in the past few years. Bold, daring, jarring. Go see either, both will leave you with something. Requiem might kill your senses for the night though, and break your brain down to goo, so beware.

Both are in my mind, masterpieces. Requiem had the greater impact though, and will stay with me for a very long time.

It is kinda a mix between CLockwork Orange, Cuckoo's Nest, Fight CLub, Pi, all those odd films, only better than them all I believe.

There were maybe three couples on dates in the theater, and I thought to myself, "morons!" taking their dates to RFAD! So much for a nice evening! It was funny to see that no one moved untill the credits almost ended. All I could hear was the plastic screeching under my shoes as I left, nothing else. That is why I go to the movies, to be moved, maybe this film takes us to places we do not want to go, but at least we can go their in a theater, and not in real life, saving us from this hell we have seen. It is hell that RFAD represents. I loved it. Sure it takes you down, down, down, down, and leave you there for the next few days, but if you are READY for it, go for it. It is an experience of massive filmmaking and hyper hell, that rewards in my opinion.

I am gonna buy the score, for all in all it was a great score. Original, moving, fresh, perfect for the film, and that one part that sounds almost like a Hitchcock string killing when things are goign to hell is so jarring, I may have to go buy it and wake people up with it

I read every review saying it is the most harrowing 45(the last, the end) minutes put to film, depressing, kicks your butt, amazing, masterpiece, all of that bla bla bla, and still everything I thought the film would be like, was at least a tad wrong. So unless you have seen it, your opinion means nothing.

I feel like I'm reading a damn EPK with all your praise about it...

(Of course, I do want to see it).

People always say that my praises do sound like EPKs lol. Sorry, but RFAD is like no other film I have seen, ever. The last 30 minutes kick your @$$, for good reasons, with smarts, and prooves Aronofsky as a great filmmaker, not as some kid trying to pump stuff up like say Tarintino. RFAD deserves the praise I have said. This film is different. RFAD and Memento are two films that shine brightly through the sludge.

In all seriousness, I do not doubt the impact the film had on you, but that's not what I look for in two hours at the cinema. Call me narrow minded and naive, but I'd rather not stare at the wall for three hours after a film. Not my idea of entertainment.

Anyway, I was just joking about your review sounding like an EPK. I have wanted to see this film since it came out, but I never got around to it.

Rest assured, however, that I will see it when it comes out on DVD.

Like Pi, only with strings, and sadness, and power.

Kross, I've seen many similar movies recently: Kids, Naked, Butcher Boy, Bad Lieutenant, Crash, and so on. While great acting, challenging subject material, and definitely taking the chances that most mainstream fare shy away from, I also walked out with a feeling like I had just been drug through someone's bad trip.

Years ago, I told a friend I drove 30 miles to see "River's Edge" (student murders a friend, then all the other students keep coming to look at the body and don't tell anyone about it.) My friend said "And you had to drive 30 miles home after seeing it?"

BTW, I did see Pi, which I thought was brilliant.

Right now, though, I'm just needing something a little more uplifting in my getting older age.

The plans initially begin to work. Harry and Tyrone have money coming in from their drug sales. Harry and Marion start to look at retail space for her dress shop. Sara begins to lose weight at a rapid speed. Things seem to be falling into place. The film gets interesting when things start to go wrong. An arrest and a gang war leave Harry and Tyrone broke and with no supply of drugs. Sara starts to double and triple up on her diet pills because she hasn't heard from the television station.

Darren Aronofsky has directed a tremendously powerful film. He shows us the depths of drug addiction whether they are legal or illicit can be equally horrific. When the addicts prepare to shoot up or take pills, he uses a quick editing style. In split second cuts we see drugs being prepared, pills containers being open, heroin being injected into the bloodstream pills being popped and pupils dilating and then he returns to addict showing the after effects. This is a tremendously effective and creative way of showing the desperation and anticipation of an addict waiting for his fix. It is also used time and time again to show the repetitiveness and the routine of it. He also adds a lot of touches that evoke sympathy for characters that most people would find unsympathetic. Marion sleeps with an ex lover so she can borrow 2000 dollars to get Harry's drug trade back in action. She leaves the apartment in tears. As soon as she gets to the street she starts to apply eye makeup in a desperate attempt to feel pretty.

The actors all put in top-notch performances. Marlon Wayans is surprisingly good as Tyrone. He is totally convincing as a drug addict. Jared Leto gives a soulful performance as Harry. Yes he is a drug addict but he looks out for his friend, his girlfriend and his mother no matter how bad the situation gets. He cares about them even during the worst of his drug addictions. He also manages to pull of a very credible Brooklyn accent. (I only caught him slip up once). Jennifer Connelly is amazing in this movie. Her metamorphosis from casual user to hardcore addict is frighteningly realistic. I was impressed with her depth as an actress.

The stand out performance in this film is Ellen Burstyn. She is the most innocent of the four characters. Her addiction to diet pills is brought on by her desire to get into a dress she wore at her son's HS graduation. There is a scene where she tells Harry that the reason she is dieting is because wearing the dress on the show would make her feel happy like she felt on his graduation day. That is the last time she remembers the family all together. It melts your heart. When she hits rock bottom and ends up at the TV station wondering when she is going to be on her show it crushes your heart.

Requiem is a phenomenal film. It is dark and disturbing and great performances in it. Darren Aronofsky's visual style matches up perfectly with the films tone and mood. It is not light popcorn entertainment at all but I strongly recommend you see it if you can handle the heavy subject matter. On a scale of 1-10, I give it a 9.

NP: Testament/In Country - James Horner