Requiem for a Dream essays

Requiem for a Dream essays Darren Aronofsky based his film, Requiem for a Dream, on the novel by Hubert Selby Jr. In the hands of director Aronofsky, it becomes a cinematic masterpiece that will certainly rattle anyones complacency about the nature of dependency. In writer/director Darren Aronofskys film, Requiem for a Dream, the audience is given an unforgettable experience as they watch the lives of four protagonists become undone by their various addictions. Their circumstances become more difficult and desperate, they increasingly turn to something that they hope will fill the void in their lives, whether it be heroin, diet pills, food, television, or merely their spurious dreams. Unfortunately, these temporary remedies quickly become the centers of their lives, until all their energies and efforts are directed to getting the next hit, regardless of the personal cost. Told in a brutal and uncompromising manner, Requiem for a Dream is probably one of the most disturbing films about drug addiction and i ts debilitating effects ever produced, and yet it easily qualifies as one of the best directed films ever. The story tracks the tailspin descent of its main characters through three acts, appropriately named: Summer, Fall, and Winter. At the start of Summer, they are already creatures of habit. Unemployed Harry Goldfarb (Jared Leto) spends his days stealing and scheming for drug money, with the help of his partner in crime Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) and his girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly), who also share in his addiction. In addition, Harrys widowed mother Sara (Ellen Burstyn), spends her days locked up in her apartment, suffering from the dual addictions of food and television. What eventually does them in are their grandiose aspirations, a symptom of there already battered self-esteem. Harry dreams of moving up in life by becoming a dealer, which will not only create an enhanced life, but will also provide Marion the seed cap...