Requiem for a Dream [DVD] [2001] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Leto and Wayans end results are just as horrific as Connelly's final wasteland. In fact, in this unedited version, Connelly has some nasty final punishment come her way. Burstyn is the stand out performer here; with speed (diet pills) induced hallucinations and gritty realistic acting. What starts out as a simple wish to fit into her favorite old dress turns into insane sequences of distorted reality and terrifying delusions (imagine a killer refrigerator threatening her - it's so real, it's uncanny).

Aronofsky's techniques are amazing, with fast cut editing and speed filled action sequences that instill the mood of a nightmare sequence. There is simply too much symbolism, imagery and artistic endeavor to list here other than to say the scenes are breathtaking. The dialogue and interaction between characters is genuine and each scene is carefully orchestrated to balance reality from fiction. It's a hell of a story and a nasty ride, but worth every cinematic moment.

There are plenty of extras like Director's commentary (really nice feature), a making of featurette and deleted scenes.

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Burstyn plays the role of Sara Goldfarb, a lonely, middle aged widow who lives in Brooklyn and has a handsome, though heroin addicted son, Harry, affectingly played by Jared Leto. Harry spends most of his time shooting up and dealing drugs with his buddy, Tyrone, deftly played by Marlon Wayans. Harry has a pretty, well to do girlfriend, Marian, played by Jennifer Connelly, who walks on the wild side with Harry and begins her own downward spiral with drugs.

Sara is in denial about how serious her son's drug habit really is. She is, in fact, the great enabler when it comes to Harry. The concept of tough love never even enters her mind. After all, Harry is all she has. For her, hope springs eternal, when it comes to her beloved Harry.

Sara spends her days glued to her tv set, watching her favorite game show or talking to other lonely, middle aged women who spend their time sitting in front of the multi-unit apartment building in which they all live. Her life is limited and stark, until she one day receives a call inviting her to be a contestant on that game show she watches. It is here that her life begins to unravel, as she goes on a diet in order to fit into her favorite red dress in preparation for her possible television debut. Fueled by diet pills provided by a so called "doctor", she begins to live a life that parallels that of her son.

The director, Darren Aronofsky, inventively shows the viewer the experience of drug addiction in a novel way, through a montage of vivid sensory and imagery bursts that become more frequent and intense, as the drug use in the film becomes more pervasive and relentless. He takes the viewer through the personal downward spiral of each of the four main characters in the movie, as they hurl on a personal collision course fueled by each one's respective drug addiction. It is one of the most frightening and horrifying portrayals of drug addiction ever to grace the screen. Marvelously directed and acted, this is a film to remember. Bravo!

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