12:30 PM
Anonymous
Today’s review is for an older movie, but still a great one. Requiem for a Dream offers a brutal look inside the world of hard drugs and the lives of addicts. In the beginning of the film, everyone has their addictions under control. Everyone is using drugs to improve their lives. But by the end of the movie, the characters start to lose control.
Screenplay
The character development and the writing is good. This movie follows four different drug addicts whose stories are all related. The main character’s name is Harry. The other characters are his best friend, his girlfriend, and his mother. Harry and his friend are addicted to heroin, his girlfriend is addicted to cocaine, and his mother is addicted to speed.
Another thing I really like about this movie is the way it makes you empathize with the drug dealers. By this I mean that normally I feel very sorry for addicts, but I’m disgusted by the people that sell to them. Requiem for a Dream presents dealers in a completely different light that is really interesting.
The one complaint I have is that the story is really slow at first. The pace of the story telling doesn’t pick up until about a third of the way into the movie. It does, however, use this time effectively for character development
Screenplay
8.5 |
The character development and the writing is good. This movie follows four different drug addicts whose stories are all related. The main character’s name is Harry. The other characters are his best friend, his girlfriend, and his mother. Harry and his friend are addicted to heroin, his girlfriend is addicted to cocaine, and his mother is addicted to speed.
Another thing I really like about this movie is the way it makes you empathize with the drug dealers. By this I mean that normally I feel very sorry for addicts, but I’m disgusted by the people that sell to them. Requiem for a Dream presents dealers in a completely different light that is really interesting.
The one complaint I have is that the story is really slow at first. The pace of the story telling doesn’t pick up until about a third of the way into the movie. It does, however, use this time effectively for character development
Acting
| 9.0 |
Requiem for a Dream really challenges its actors. They have to not only act sober, but they also have to simulate the effects of several different drugs, as well as the withdrawals and cravings.
All of the actors did a fantastic job of acting like they were high on specific drugs, and the effect of each drug was realistic. They did an especially good job portraying the hardship of the consequences of their addictions.
Style
| 10 |
The style of Requiem for a Dream is uniquely grungy and jarring. Every time a character does a drug there is a quick montage of them preparing and using the drug. This makes the audience relate more to the impatience of the user when he wants his fix.
The cinematography is also innovative. In some scenes, the camera is attached to the actor, and it shows either the actor’s face or a first-person view of what the actor sees. I’ve seen this in movies before, but the effect that was specific to this movie was the split screen scenes. The director uses split screen scenes when two characters are using or when one character is considering using.
Only two or three songs are used throughout the movie. One of them is, obviously, Requiem for a Dream. The choice to use only a few songs for many different scenes doesn’t hurt the movie at all. In fact, the music really adds to the overall vibe of the movie.
Genre Comparison
| 8.5 |
I haven’t seen too many movies about drug use, besides stoner movies. Requiem for a Dream is far better written than any stoner movie I’ve ever seen. However, its far more depressing. I would only recommend this movie if you’re in the mood for a seriously depressing drama.
Originality
| 9.5 |
Requiem for a Dream’s originality is its greatest strength. It’s simply incomparable to anything else. The plot, the style, and the cinematography are all completely unique.
Message
| 9.0 |
The message of this movie is basically don’t use hard drugs. Requiem for a Dream definitely gets the point across.
Huevos Factor
| 7.5 |
Requiem for a Dream is a great movie, but it’s super depressing and rather slow at times. It’s certainly not a movie for everyone, but if you enjoy a smart and profound drama, you really should see this movie.
Breakdown:
| Screenplay | 8.5 |
| Acting | 9.0 |
| Style | 10 |
| Genre Comparison | 8.5 |
| Originality | 9.5 |
| Message | 9.0 |
| Huevos Factor | 7.5 |
| Overall | 8.8 |
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