Requiem for a Dream has been a familiar name to me but i never got to chance to see the film until last week. When i found it on Netflix, I had no idea what to expect from it and how dark the story would go. I can not process an exact summary so I have selected one from IMDb.
A film paralleling the lives of Sara Goldfarb, a lonely, TV obsessed widow, and her son Harry, his girlfriend Marion, and his drug dealer friend Tyrone. After learning that she will make an appearance on a TV game show, Sara tries to lose weight so that she can fit into her prized red dress, and becomes hooked on diet pills. Meanwhile, Harry and his friends are taking heroin and cocaine. We then witness the disasterous consequences and the downward spiral their lives take as a result of their addictions.
The character progression and set design really helped set a perfect tone for the movie. When our four main characters are closer to their dreams, you get a sense of pride in these characters that wouldn't usually cheer for in real life.The movie helps audiences feel for these characters and even takes advantage of that when things brutally go down hill. The settings play a big role in setting the tone by showing danger, isolation, confusion, and dysfunction.
Its hard to pick out exactly a favorite scene in the movie. Alot of them are memorable but not in the way where the audience is supposed to like whats going on. If i were to pick a favorite scene, it would have to be at the point where everyone had things going for them. In previous scenes you would see them struggle to survive and you can really connect with them. There's a sense of pride you are supposed to have for the characters once they get out of the bad. Unfortunately they don't stay like that for long.
The movie is not rated and some scenes are hard to watch. If you liked the movie Trainspotting then you are sure to like this one. If you are not to big on a movie where it portrays realistic addictions and struggles addicts have then its not the movie for you. This is definitively a hard movie to watch. If you do not enjoy the first half hour then you will not enjoy the end.
