Juan You - Requiem for a Dream (Personal Blog #2)

If you are interested in independent films, the name Darren Aronofsky is undoubtedly one you have heard. He has directed a good number of films, one in particular that has always stuck with me – Requiem for a Dream.
This film, when I watched it for the first time, was disturbing and downright disgusting because it made me feel extremely uncomfortable, as it should to any viewer. That was the complete point. The whole movie is about Addition, and it's aftermath and consequence. It follows the parallel lives of four characters that seek wealth and fame, and use addictive means to obtain it.
There is no hope or faith in the film, and this is partially why this movie is so discomforting. Only bad things continue to happen, with nothing getting better – after a while, it is all disheartening and devastating. And because of this aspect, Aronofsky's film is brilliant. He destroys all his characters and their dreams. It is not the drug abuse and sexual scenes that make this movie disturbing, it is the fact that nothing gets better for any of the characters. It makes the viewer emerge out of the movie feeling HORRIBLE.
Each character in the movie is influenced by drugs, and the movie makes drugs the representative object of sin and evil. It takes away a person's sense of reality, morale, and creativity – your sense of self-awareness, and to a certain extent, your sense of choice.
One symbol in the film that is reoccurring is the eye, and it reminded me a lot of Bladerunner. The eye, as discussed before, is somewhat like a mirror into the soul of a person. The reoccurring eye is dilated, with a blackness that represents a negative energy, and reflected clouds that symbolize dreams, illusion, and deception.
“Requiem for a Dream” is about drug abuse, yes, but it is also, in a sense, religious. It is a powerful film about how far we will go for our addictions. It goes beyond the statement 'drugs are bad', it illustrates that “drugs are a nightmare”.
At the end of the film, all four victims curl up into a fetal position as they end their day. It a symbol of hopelessness, loneliness, and vulnerability. Addiction is a powerful thing, and sometimes only the power of something spiritual and sacred can bring you out of it. Addiction in this sense can be coupled with temptation and sin. Because we are merely humans, we are easily tempted and addicted. In the end, perhaps only God is immune to such things.