Requiem For A Dream

A few days ago, I watched a film named “Requiem For A Dream” in my Film Studies class. When my lecture introduces this film to us, I’m not so interested because it seems like an old-fashioned style of American film. But after I finished watching it, I totally change my mind. This is an awesome anti-drug film I have ever seen.

Movie Poster of Requiem For A Dream

(Source:https://www.google.com/search?q=Requiem+for+a+Dream&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=643&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi-5MfYtqrNAhVIRo8KHYTqA4UQ_AUIBigB#imgrc=4AYph8xoXpVafM%3A)

Requiem For A Dream is a American psychological film directed by Darren Aronofsky in 2000. This film is based on the novel of the same name by Hubert Selby. Jr. The story is about the four main characters infected by drugs addiction and what happen to them after all. They are under pressure neither physically nor mentally.

It is quite interesting that I found this film is one of the Top 10 Banned Film because of its psychological pressure. It is the few of banned film that not included too much of bloody, pornographic or mistreatment scene, all rely on director's editing and camera work, to pull the mood of the scene to the highest point.

The director uses fast cuts to present the act of drugs consumption. The scene of powder, fire, boiling water, rolling money, dilated pupils are playing in a fast speed and keep repeating to show the audience the pleasure of taking drugs. This kind of editing can pull audience into the story as if they are the people who taking drugs instead of showing them the characters are taking drugs. We can also call this kind of editing as Montage. The combination of different things can bring out the true meaning of the scene.

Screenshot of some scene that shows the act of drugs consumption.

The editing of cutting the screen into two parts, left and right, is also often used in this film. This can make the audience capture the facial expression of the characters more clearly. It also shows the contrast among the characters and enhance the mood of scene. For example, the starting scene when Harry wants to get the key from his mother, Sara, so that he can move away the television from the living room and sell it. He seems to be very angry outside the room, and she looks timid in the room. We can see that there is conflict among two of them.

Scene cuts into two parts to show both characters' emotion.

The camera position plays a very important role in this film. There are a lot of close up (CU) and extreme close up (ECU) are used to emphasize the mood of the scene. Most of the characters have this shooting scene like there is a camera just in front of their face to capture all their expression. Because of it is really close to the characters, it creates a sense of fear and pressure, a minor change of expression also might affect the audience’s mood.

Screenshots of some example of close up (CU).

I was impressed by the scene where Sara goes to see her doctor again, she starts to panic and has hallucination. The scene is shoot by fisheye lens. It not just enlarges the expression but also the emotions of the characters. The unbalance screen makes the audiences feel uncomfortable just like the character in the story.

Screenshot of fisheye lens scene.

The director, Darren Aronofsky, plays around the technique of Mise-en-shot in this film. All the camera angle, camera position, duration of shots, shot scale and pace of editing are well organized to enhance the narrative of the film. Different angle of camera shot creates different feelings. The shaking camera view also makes the audience become unbalance and confuse.

This film is a tribute to Perfect Blue, a Japanese animated psychological thriller-horror film directed by Satoshi Kon in 1997. There is a scene where Marion dips herself in bathtub is quite similar to Mima, the main character of Perfect Blue. Both of them are confuse, they cannot differentiate the reality and illusion. They slowly dig their dark side of human nature and lost their mind in illusion. No one can save them except their own self.

Mima in Perfect Blue (left) and Marion in Requiem For A Dream (right).

Besides the editing, how about the story?

It is awesome. 

This film really shows the dark side of human nature. Drugs, money, sex, things that might pull a person into Abyss. This is what actual happen in our society, maybe a little bit of exaggeration? But we cannot just ignore it because it does not happen around us. The audience has a chance to observe the character live for dream blindly, forgot the motive of their life, and lastly lost themselves in illusion. This film is not a normal American film, is a stirring masterpiece. It’s shocking is not primarily visual, but the soul, you will always remember this movie after watching it.