[Destor]

Requiem for a Dream (200) - 8/10

Ive been a fan of Aronofsky's work since π but never got to this despite hearing the word masterpiece thrown around when it comes up. I think thats why i passed on it. It was oversold. I tend to let things sit when theyre built up too much for their own sake and with this film i just never went back to it after the hype died down.

To be clear masterpiece is definitely over selling it but it is very very good. It contrasts legal addiction vs agorist addiction. It mirrors the highs and lows from multiple perspectives and its very captivating. It appears to me its central effort is to call out the pharmaceutical industry and the medical field that fuels it.

Extremely well acted. A superb score. The cinematography has an identity and i get what its going for but ive never cared for the extreme close ups and hard cuts. It works. You can convey a lot with it and its done well here but i always feel like it removes the audience from the world and reminds us this is a film.

On top of that the films toys with reality vs perception and it has us asking what is diegetic vs non-diegetic frequently and that inadvertently breaks the 4th wall. In scenes where we should worry about the characters this hurts the tension.

All that said the major story beats are phenomenal and the climax is deep and harrowing. The film certainly works and well.