Just say no
Well, I'm back in Muskegon after a wonderful Christmas. Am I happy? No, I am not. I am not happy because I just finished watching the most depressing movie of all time. Yes, I watched Requiem for a Dream. I cannot remember watching in recent years anything approaching the sheer bleak hopelessness of this film.
That said, it was an amazing, incredibly powerful movie. It is essentially a case study of drug addiction as experienced in the lives of four people, each of whom is ruled by a different type of drug addiction. The movie shows you four dysfunctional but likeable characters--and then it forces you to watch as they utterly destroy their lives. In numerous scenes, visual tricks and clever camerawork actually pull you into the delusions and terror the characters experience as their addictions unravel their minds and destroy their futures and their dreams. As the film progresses, the film pulls no punches whatsoever as it tells its hellish story: the characters gradually transform from fun-loving individuals with hopes for the future into hopeless, completely addicted junkies who must sink to the lowest depths of degredation and shame in order to get their fixes. As the credits rolled, I could only sit in stunned horror at the nightmare scenario I had just witnessed.
This was a remarkable and supremely unsettling film. I'm very glad I saw it (thanks to Alan for recommending it). But I never want to see it again. Requiem is one of those movies that everyone should watch at least once--but it's a searing and difficult-to-watch two hours that will probably gather dust on Blockbuster shelves, ignored by the unwashed masses who are more interested in absorbing the latest soul-killing waste of film instead (says the guy who sat through most of the Wing Commander movie... physician, heal theyself and all that).
On the plus side, this movie should clear up any lingering doubts about whether or not doing drugs is a good idea. Two hours of this movie is more effective than a lifetime's worth of "Just Say No" TV ads.
Comments
When I was done watching Requiem, I felt like I needed to shower to wash away the hopelessness. Great film, though. Ellen Burstyn deserved the Best Actress Oscar for her role far more than winner Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich. Ellen's slide into delusional insanity was riveting. Other moments that stick out were Harry's emergency run to the doctor with his infection, Marion's eyes as her pusher's door swings open to the party, and the very effective use of "hip-hop montage." So much information is compressed into a staccato sequence of stunning cinematography. Director Aronofsky is brilliant. If you haven't seen his other major release, Pi, run out now and rent it.
Posted by: alan | December 28, 2002 3:34 PM
For me, one of the most brutal moments was the shot of Harry in the back of the taxicab after visiting his mother. He is sobbing uncontrollably. There is then a quick (and by now familiar) shot of Harry getting high on something. The camera returns to Harry sitting in the back of the taxicab... except now he's not crying; he's just staring emotionlessly, his face devoid of expression, out the window.
I looked down at the end of the movie to see my half-eaten dinner still on the plate but quite cold. I had forgotten entirely about it. Quite the film, and I agree that Burstyn definitely deserved an Oscar. Julia Roberts? Erin Brockovich? By all that is holy, that just doesn't seem right.
Posted by: jrau | December 28, 2002 5:44 PM
Not surprising, since Julia Roberts is THE DEVIL. No, check that, the devil checks his schedule against Julia's, if you get my meaning.
Pi is a tremendous movie, far more bizarre than Requiem and far less disturbing. It's one that I've watched a couple of times just to make sure I followed what happened. It's slightly more linear than something like Eraserhead, but eerily similar in mood and some of its cinematography. And it won't make you want to weep uncontrollably or shower with a brillo pad (like Requiem does).
Posted by: pcg | December 28, 2002 11:22 PM
Best Buy this week -- you can get Pi and Requiem For a Dream in a DVD 2-pack for $12.99. Don't know if they have any special geegaws, or if you want to own either, but at $3.50 apiece for DVD rentals, you can own both for $6 more...
Posted by: joel | December 30, 2002 2:04 AM