REQUIEM FOR A DREAM: Excellent Treatise on Human Weakness

In Pi, he also proved that he enjoys experimenting with form. Requiem for a Dream is an excellent but much more mature continuation of the trend initiated by the director. What is most important, however, is that this time Aronofsky focused on the simplest yet most human needs of his characters. He is no longer searching for God; rather, he shows that the only presence accompanying a person from birth until death is the person himself.

Aronofsky focuses on the story of four interconnected characters: Sara Goldfarb (an excellent Ellen Burstyn), her son Harry (Jared Leto), his girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly), and their friend Tyrone (Marlon Wayans), whose paths, initially shared, gradually diverge as the story progresses. The starting point becomes two facts that are crucial for the events that follow – Sara finds out that she has been selected for her favorite television show, and Harry and Tyrone make the fateful decision to improve their lives – they begin selling heroin. This moment marks the beginning of a downward spiral for the characters.

That human beings are flawed creatures is not a surprise to anyone. However, we are used to thinking of ourselves as the most perfect forms of life that have appeared in the world we know. What we learn about ourselves from Aronofsky’s film, however, cannot and is not easy to accept. We like to imagine that we are capable of withstanding any trial, overcoming any adversity. Requiem for a Dream brings us – the viewers – down to earth, showing the truth as it is, not as we would like it to be. It strips away the superficial beauty of humanity and the illusions of life. The human being turns out to be a weak creation – selfish, prone to self-destruction by indulging in one’s own weaknesses and satisfying the lowest instincts. The vision is not very optimistic, just like the film itself.

On the other hand, however, humanity is also a desperate need for acceptance, the pursuit of happiness (however it may be understood), and perhaps most importantly, the desire to be needed, to be loved. Paradoxically, these two aspects of human life cannot function without each other. I would even venture to say that one is conditioned by the other. Selfishness often drives us to decisions that are incomprehensible to others, but it also pushes us to seek what is best for us. Therefore, the deeply human need for love is dictated by something as low as concern for one’s own interests. This dichotomy guides the actions of the characters in Requiem for a Dream, becoming the main reason for the misfortunes that befall them.

Aronofsky examines the attitudes of people standing at the two extremes of life. Sara Goldfarb has already experienced the best part of her life. She is aging, inevitably heading toward the final limit. Her only joy comes from conversations with her son, sitting on a bench with her neighbors, and of course, watching television. She is lonely. The prospect of appearing on her favorite television show becomes an obsession for her, and her favorite red dress, which unfortunately she can no longer fit into, becomes a symbol of her last chance. A chance for what? A chance to be noticed, accepted, and loved. A chance to escape from loneliness. It’s very human.

Her son Harry, along with his friends, is just stepping into independent life. The choices he makes with them, however, will not lead him to a happy ending. Selfishness will separate them and push them to the edge of the abyss. Unlike his mother, loneliness becomes his choice, not fully conscious, as it is blinded by the pursuit of satisfying his own needs, but leading to the same inevitable end. But what remains in the memory after watching Requiem for a Dream is the awareness that no matter what choice we make in the end, we will always be left alone with our demons. This terrifying loneliness is powerfully depicted in the last minutes of Aronofsky’s film. Each of the characters, assuming an embryonic position, hides from the world. Or maybe, cleansed, they are being reborn for it?

One cannot fail to see in Aronofsky’s film a critique of American consumerism, represented by the ubiquitous television, manipulating and imposing a way of perceiving the world on the viewer. The slogan “no red meat, no sugar, no mayonnaise” becomes an obsession not only for Sara Goldfarb, and the refrigerator becomes a dangerous monster lurking in the depths of her subconscious, marking the beginning of her psychological degradation. Does the director accuse television? No. It is people who make the choice, consciously or not, escaping from their own selves.

Undoubtedly, the star of the film is Ellen Burstyn (fully deserved Oscar and Golden Globe nomination in 2000). What we see on the screen perfectly matches the word creation. Burstyn perfectly captures the degradation of her character’s personality and the deepening mental illness. Aronofsky guides her confidently, intensifying the viewer’s impressions through dynamic, and by the end of the film, almost music-video-like editing, emphasizing the collapse of her world. Ellen Burstyn is not afraid of ugliness, which leaves a striking impression, especially in the final sequences of the film. The remaining three young actors are also convincing, but their roles remain in the shadow of Ellen Burstyn’s masterful performance.

Speaking of Requiem for a Dream, it would be a sin not to mention the perfectly chosen, atmospheric, and incredibly depressing music by Clint Mansell, with string parts performed by the Kronos Quartet. It is largely thanks to this that the film has its heavy, overwhelming atmosphere. After Pi American cinema gained another director-composer pair (they also collaborated on Aronofsky’s later creations like The Fountain, Black Swan and many others) and let’s hope their collaboration continues as it is one of the most creative pairings imaginable.

I have an undeniable feeling that Darren Aronofsky is a very sharp observer of reality, and thanks to that, he possesses knowledge that allows him to say more than others about human weaknesses. He expresses this in Requiem for a Dream. He doesn’t make diagnoses, doesn’t provide recipes, he simply observes us and… has no illusions.