Product Description
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Jared Leto, Ellen Burstyn and Jennifer Connolly star in
this psychological drama co-written and directed by Darren
Aronofsky. Based on the novel by Hubert Selby Jnr, the film
follows heroin addicts Harry (Leto) and Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) as
they look to make some cash as drug dealers. Accompanied by
Harry's girlfriend Marion (Connolly), the trio attempt to get
their business off the ground but are soon hit by a number of
problems. With their Florida supplier cutting back on
distribution and Tyrone sent to jail for his involvement in a
gang shooting, Harry is forced to travel to Miami to try and
score the drugs while Marion is forced into prostitution in order
to feed her habit. Meanwhile, Harry's mother Sara (Burstyn)
becomes addicted to pills and is hospitalised after
suffering from debilitating hallucinations. The cast also
includes Christopher McDonald, Louise Lasser and Marcia Jean
Kurtz.
.co.uk Review
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Fantasy mixes with the harsh reality of addiction and
the desire for hope in Requiem for a Dream. Beginning at the dawn
of a new summer in Coney Island, the film charts the relationship
of Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn) and her son Harry (Jared
Leto)--two characters who are lost with in a world of the
self-absorbed desire to feed their addictions at the cost of hope
and love. With a sublime score (
/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004Y6Q5/%24%7B0%7D ) (performed by the
Kronos Quartet) accompanying some intense visual imagery, the
film sets up an almost fairy-tale wash over the characters'
lives, with every hit of their chosen drug turning them into
beautiful people surrounded by a haze which enhances all their
features. However, unlike films such as Trainspotting which turn
the dream into a nightmare then end with a huge dose of hope,
Requiem for a Dream forces the viewer through all loss of hope
and the descending madness of reality, as winter begins.
Darren Aronofsky's follow-up to the critically accled Pi is a
movie which exposes not only the terror caused by addiction of
any kind--be it TV or Heroin--but also offers a powerful in
into the destruction caused by the desire to achieve "the
American Dream". Based on the novel (
/e%20xec/obidos/ASIN/0714530107/%24%7B0%7D ) by Hubert Selby Jr,
the film sacrifices dialogue in favour of imagery and movement:
the editing and cinematography are reminiscent of MTV, however
the movie takes this very aggressive style and moulds it to its
own needs, adding a beautifully haunting narrative and powerful
performances by its four main characters (Burstyn just missing
out on an O for Best female lead to Julia Roberts).
Ultimately the viewer is left with a sense of desperation and
despair: Requiem for a Dream exposes drugs and addiction in the
most powerful and truthful way a film has ever managed, leaving
no stone unturned.
On the DVD: This disc is bursting with excellent special
features. The anamorphic widescreen picture makes the most of the
film's stylish visuals, and the soundtrack offers choice of
either Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0. As well as offering the
obligatory theatrical trailer, scene selection and a fantastic
director's commentary, there's also a "making-of" featurette, TV
trailers charting the reviews and success of the film, an
"Anatomy of a scene", and a wide range of deleted scenes. By far
the best feature is Hubert Selby Jr's interview with Ellen
Burstyn, which offers the writer a chance to put across not just
his opinions on his work but also on life as a whole. All these
features are placed within an impressively formatted menu.
--Nikki Disney