Requiem for a Dream

This weekend, I downloaded the soundtrack to the film Requiem for a Dream. It's a gorgeous soundtrack, with a lot of repetitive themes. But it inspired me to rewatch this horrifically beautiful movie as well.

First of all, the movie has distinct, symbolic style. The movie all about addiction. Mostly to drugs, but also to other things we may not even consider like food or television. There are close-ups to the pills that Sara Goldfarb takes, as prescribed by her doctor (but are actually amphetamines), the drugs that Harry, Marion and Tyrone are taking, and their eyes dialating as the drugs take effect. This is to symbolize that the drugs fill their whole world, just as they fill the screen. There are many other things that may seem stylistic in the filming of the movie but are actually symbolic.

The film is quite explicit, which cannot be denied. There is drug use and it's effects, such as the grossly infected arm of Harry Goldfarb. There is murder and prostitution and the terror of a mental hospital, accentutated by the loud warning bells heard in the soundtrack. The music is used continuously to make sure you know that the film isn't going toward a white light at the end of the tunnel. There is the "overture" theme, which is classic for movie trailers. Everytime I hear it, I think of Sara Goldfarb cleaning her apartment in a time progression scene where the camera moves slowly from right to left and she moves in fast-forward from room to room, cleaning every surface. Then there is the "dreaming" theme and the "fear and tension" theme. There is also the "party" theme, which is used in either party situations or high tension situations (like the heroin run on the supermarket).

This movie is not for the weak of heart. There is nothing to keep you away from seeing what they feel. You see the blood splatter on Tyrone's face. You see Sara's fearful eyes when they hook her up for electroshock therapy. You can see the pain in Harry's face as his arm becomes infected. You can see the breaking of Marion's heart as she realizes what she must do for her next fix. And you watch all their hopes and dreams crumble, destroyed by the harshness of addiction and reality.

This movie is haunting, beautiful, compelling and explicit. I find it absolutely facinating and once I've watched the ending, I want to start it all over. You always hope something will change, but nothing does.

If you care to watch the film, you can watch it in its entirity on Hulu HERE.