There are Weird Films... And then there's 'Requiem For A Dream'

A painful, yet thrilling film everyone should watch

Before Darren Aronofsky had Natalie Portman swanning around in Black Swan and Mickey Rourke dressed up as a has-been wrestler (in the originally titled The Wrestler), the aforementioned Aronofsky's second feature hit cinema screens in the late-nineties, a haunting insight into the depths of addiction. It wasn't commercial, multiplex cinema and hardly made an impression on the more simple-minded Oscar's academy voters. Forrest Gump, this ain't. But it was, undeniably, a cinematic masterpiece. Depressing. Bleak. Thrilling. Theres no doubt about this, although Requiem isn't exactly a 'Jason Statham B-Movie' thriller cliche, it is most certainly a thriller, with it's pounding soundtrack and chopping, headache-inducing editing. The film is a prime example of an 18 rated-thriller, it's graphic depictions of sex, drug use and mental breakdowns are certainly not for the faint-hearted. As you can tell by now, my thoughts towards this film vary so much; it's not really entertainment per se, but the characters are just captivating and the film has so much metaphorical value, a film that can be watched countless times with different interpretations affecting one's opinion and attitudes to life generally. There's no dumbing down for the popcorn audience in this film, and thats why the audience has a greater appreciation for the film; it's realism heightens the thrill that this could actually happen.

The film itself is an ensemble piece, the various characters united by their reliance on addiction in some form. A mother longing to relive her youth and to regain her relationship through her estranged son, ultimately crying out for attention through her addiction to diet pills, which reflects her desire to be more successful and happier, like the people she watches on TV. Her son Harry, a drug-fuelled addict whose lover Marion has to turn to prostitution to fuel funds for her drug use. Tyrone their friend, a dealer, who winds up in prison. Requiem for a Dream shows how these vulnerable lives, longing for more in their seemingly small, insignificant lives, intertwine, and the consequences of their isolation and longing to be more influential. The ending scene is incredibly powerful and moving, presenting the lack of hope for the protagonists, drowning in despair.
Watch the clip below, after which I'll analyse what you have just seen:

Copyright Disclaimer: I do not own the below footage; it is being used for educational purposes


The protagonist Harry, hospitalised by his drug use, dreams of a more positive reality; the light setting and positive iconography juxtaposes with the darkness of his hospital room. The diegesis, the sound of the waves, drowns out his cries for Marion, connoting the protagonist's inability to look after and protect his lover. The darkness and intensity of camera shots reflects his mood; darkness represents despair, whilst the close-ups connote his isolation. Both the nurse and the patient are never included in the same shot, further reinforcing this sense of a lack of company or indeed sympathy. The nurse dresses in white, which has symbolic connotations of purity, which juxtaposes with the protagonist, his sullen face shrouded in darkness, intoxicated by drugs. Also, the colour of white has God-like connotations, which reveals that his only hope may now rest in faith and hope. The realisation that he will never see Marion again brings on a wave of all-consuming sadness, at which point the camera zooms out, representing the loneliness of the character. The soundtrack kicks in, slow and almost sympathetic of his predicament; this grows in intensity as the ending continues, building to a crescendo.

 After this, we witness the situations of the people most close to him, tightly intercut, unveiling the depression consuming their lives. Firstly, the darkness of the main character's girlfriend, living in squalor, living amongst mess that could be interpreted as the metaphorical shambles her life has become. Next to Tyrone, living a life of routine in prison, lacking any identity or sense of self-purpose. Notice the camera is at eye-level with his face; although Aronofsky is revealing the pitiful state of his life, he want's the audience to empathise and gauge and understanding of the sadness behind his eyes, the drugs just a mere facade of his internal depression. In addition to this, note the light from above; a higher, spiritual being being his only hope is a theme that runs throughout the film. Finally to Sara, the protagonists mother, who has now been admitted to a psychiatric hospital; we see the reaction from her friends. The hospital has no colour, connoting Sara's lack of emotion; whilst busy, no one is really paying much attention to Sara, showing how destitute and insignificant she now has become. Note how there are two of them looking at just one person, giving the impression that Sara is now on her own. The fear behind their eyes builds the anticipation of the reveal of Sara, who has undertaken electroconvulsive treatment. Finally, we see her through the eyes of her friends,appearing vague, lost and distant. The camera lingers for a while, forcing the audience to look at the now physically and emotionally drained version of Sara. The audience then see's her friends reaction, crying uncontrollably amongst the uncleared snow; the weather has metaphorical implications, revealing the ugliness of reality, how we all long for the untouched, pure snow of life, yet in this case end up with the aged residue. The camera once again zooms out, symbolic of how they are the only ones now left to pick up the pieces.There is no one else in the background shot, and the setting is dull and murky, further reinforcing this sense of despair, longing for hope and guidance.

The scene then shows this trio of characters moving into the fetal position, which has implications of mothering, care and protection. Marion smiles, seemingly unaware of the mess her life has become, adding more pain to the viewers woes, as she presumably goes on, unaware of the despair of her predicament. To Tyrone, who winces painfully; the viewer witnesses briefly what he is dreaming of, the scene intercut with the imagery of a young son with his mother. However, this is all too vague and brief, revealing how it is only wishful thinking that he really is alone. Then we see Sara, imagining the 'infomercials' she loved to watch at home, advertising dieting products; she longs to be able to fit in the red dress she wore in her youth, which is symbolic of the person she wished to become. The repetition of 'We got a winner!' creates this fake happiness that contrasts with the predicament of Sara. The repetition of the zooming out reiterates how ostracised from society (and the audience), and that they cannot reach out for hope any longer. Finally to the 'infomercial', a twisted reality where Sara achieves her ultimate goal, fitting into her red dress, fitting into society. The lighting is almost blinding (notice the difference the lighting changes between the characters thoughts and dreams and that of reality), which reveals how in this parallel reality she is overjoyed, the centre of attention. The ending hug between Sara and her son shows how her addiction was stemmed by her longing to reach out to her son, who in this dream of her's is successful. The faux look of joy from the presenter and the audience shows the corruptness of her ambitions; the viewer understands that this longing was impossible to achieve, despite her determination. Both protagonists faces are still shrouded in darkness from the view of the character, revealing their 'hidden' emotions, that they are still just as pitiful as they were before. The non-diegetic score is used throughout to build the intensity of the audiences emotions. The joy of the infomercial is contrasted by the music, a use of dramatic irony, a knowing wink to the audience that their materialistic ambitions bring no joy or happiness.

Although this is the ending of the film, this part of the film best portrays the strength of the thriller genre; a thriller so rooted within reality that we begin to question whether it's a thriller or not in the first place. It epitomises the fear the audience can feel, the intensity of emotions a film can draw. I hope that our opening to our thriller can evoke a similar strength of emotions for our audience...