1/4  Reqieum for Every Character's Dreams
Second attempt watching it. First rating: 2/10, Second Rating: 3.5/10 It was like a TV movie and was very effective. I was crying by the end, but still it's hard to watch. Ellen Burstyn is an amazing actress. The artist who made-up Jared L... (read full)

4/4  Big Surprise finds itself at #30.....
Controversial because of its nature, it is how far the superb cast and director Darren Aronofsky dare to go that makes this one of the most alluring and electrifying movies I have ever seen. Jared Leto, Ellen Burstyn, Jennifer Connelly and... (read full)

3/4  Requiem For A Dream
Requiem For a Dream is a really raw drama, about four people trying to cope with a drug addiction. I think that the old lady, unknowing to the fact she is addicted to speed, is the most controversial, with her hallucinations being creepy a... (read full)

4/4  Gripping
Requiem For A Dream covers many forms of dangerous addictions. From Harry, Mariones and Tyrons heroin addictions, to Harry's mom addiction in eating which then turns to the addiction of weight loss pills, or speed. This movie is actually b... (read full)

4/4  A Must See
A spell binding film that sinks it's hooks in from the opening credits and pulls you into a story and life style that opens your eyes. This film is beautifully shot, well acted and incredibly well written. The cult trademark of this film i... (read full)

3.5/4  A raw look at the effects of drug addiction.
Requiem For a Dream is a superb film all around. The story revolves around four central characters, all dealing with drug addiction in their own way. The style of filming was unique and perfect for this movie. Marlon Wayans played his r... (read full)

4/4  Requiem for a Dream Quick Review
You can try to put a positive spin on addiction, even make it cool - then you can watch Requiem for a Dream and come back to reality. This should also be shown in every school. It's depressing, yes, but that's the whole point.

4/4  Requiem for a Dream Quick Review
Music, plot, cinematography...all perfect. Every teenager/college student should see this movie in a class, as to what not to do with their life! One of the best ever made.

5/5 Wow... Just Wow. Very Brutually Honest Indeed.
  by *Bling-Bling* (Lompoc, CA)
A great film that is just so well done in all aspects you've come to expect from a movie (except that "Feel Good" feeling after watching the movie). The tragedy of this film was so sad because it reflects off the realities of real life which is usually not a perfect happy Hollywood ending and I appraise it for being so. The plot was very well done and had me cheering for the characters to reach their dreams they have set to pursue even though the world around them was beginning to collapse. It was as if every time something bad happened to one of the characters I would say to myself "It can't get any worst than that" but tragically, it does. I would recommend this film to those who loves a good drama as this film is packed with plenty of that.

5/5 Drugs are Bad
  by TS (East Oakland)
If you have a sick desire to feel depressed for the rest of the week then I highly encourage you to watch Requiem for a Dream. There is nothing redeeming about this movie. You will watch people destroy their lives for two hours, and then the movie ends. I don't know what message the filmmaker is trying to make here, but the only thing I could make out is "Drugs are Bad". I've only been told the same thing over 1000 times throughout my childhood. Thanks for the original message, Mr. Director.

Furthermore, this movie is very simplistic in how it portrays America's drug problem. Not every old lady who takes diet pills turns into a nutcase. Not every chick who uses H turns into a whore. Yet 100% of drug-using characters in this movie are destroyed by the drugs they take. Requiem's anti-drug message isn't insightful, it's propaganda.

Do your self a favor and skip this film.

4/5 dare you look away
  by Jonathan Cardwell (Cape Retardo, MO)
basically, this is a horror film that deals with real issues. It's not about vampires and it doesn't feature a bunch of unexplained murders with cartoonish body counts, but it is scary as heck, just watching the worlds of these people fall around them as a result of their addictions. The film is a little plain looking, but it's got enough verve to please most filmgoers who don't strictly watch chick-flix and romantic comedies etc....and the director does indeed PAINT the picture, not just build it with sets and actors. In other words, this film has a healthy beating heart that is sure to elevate your heart rate, as opposed to many of the lifeless "Oscar-worthy" films out there (i.e.: The Motorcycle Diaries, etc.....).

5/5 "I just want to be on television"
  by Strangedaze (Nunya, Business USA)
I have an idea, and that I idea is to show every drug related class in america "Requiem for a Dream". It will haunt your dreams forever, and make you never want to pick up even a cigarette. It's not a pleasant experience to watch, but is nonetheless amazing and unforgettable. It follows the lives of four regular people in brighton beach brooklyn:

Sarah Goldfarb: A older woman who has these big dreams of seeing herself and son Harry on television, in the dress she wore back in her prime.(She is played magnificently by Ellen Burnstyn, who deserves every oscar she can get)

Harry Goldfarb; A good kid, who like many others takes the wrong path, and wonders into the drug trade with his pal tyron.

Marion Silver: Harry's girlfriend, who in desparation for drugs turns to doing unthinkable things.

Tyron. C.Love: Harry's business partner. As a young boy, he didn't want nothing more then to make his mother proud, by becoming successful.


Each get addicted to different types of drugs "Mainly speed and crack", and for 120 minutes we stare in horror as each of their lives sink further into a gaping hole of despair. Aronofoski uses different types of techniques like slowly down time, random loud noises, and shooting everything from a fishcam angle, to make an authentic experience of being on drugs. And it works. We as the audience feel as if were becoming insane, the scene where Sarah's refridgerator attacks her has got to be one of the most disturbing things I've ever witnessed. In the end all of their lives and dreams are crushed(what you were expecting a happy ending?)and we are left to cry for these poor souls. But out of all of the sorrow "Requiem" makes us feel, something really good comes out of it. A warning.

3/5 Requiem for what dreams, exactly?
  by jumpy1 (New York, NY)
Sorry Hubert but see, Requiem for a Dream might be seen as interesting, from a standpoint of, say, film technique. The photography, the editing, the acting, all superb. In that sense, the DVD is great becuz some of those extras? about filming and writing? are more interesting than the film itself. But storywise, major disappointment Hubert--just one or two scenes dragged out to fill an hour and a half, beating and beating the same campy message as that movie, Reefer Madness I mean, it's filmed much more stylishly than that, you know, but you see what I mean. And what's the deal with that soundtrack, that weird ominous music? Hubert, really. Do drug addicts hear string quartets in their heads all day? Whatareya trying to make here? A horror movie? With an old lady taking speed from her doctor, and talking to the TV? It has such a great, poetical title. I really expected, given the fact that so many successful people are addicted to these very drugs, you'd try to show how addiction destroys the pursuit of dreams. I mean, with a title like that...But these characters, they had no real dreams to pursue. They did nothing at all with themselves all day. Nothing, Hubert! Nothing! Not to mention that they were bone-chillingly stupid. Don't get me wrong--Ellen Burstyn was great. It's just that given the amount of speed she was taking over just a few months, it doesn't make sense, what she does. Do you actually know anyone who has taken speed for a few months? And the girl who becomes a whore - puleez. Girls who look like her have much better options when they decide to be a drug whore. Hubert, you were just trying to make a splash. Admit it. You were just trying to make us scared. But you made me laugh, Hubert. You really did. This sh** really sells, you were right. You don't even have to know what you're talking about. You just have to put it out there. People eat this sh** up! Man, you're doing it, man. Wish I could, too. I really do.