Requiem delivers blow to the senses

Julien R. Fielding

It begins with a son locking his mother in the closet and ends with eviscerating hopelessness.

The film, "Requiem for a Dream," is director Darren Aronofsky's "mallet to the head" look at addiction and its horrendous aftermath.

Based on Hurbert Selby Jr.'s tome of the same title, and adapted by both Aronofsky and the novelist, "Requiem" follows four characters as they seek the American Dream of fame, wealth and bliss.

Widow Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn) spends her days glued to the television set while eating chocolate. She lives alone and lonely in an apartment complex inhabited by other widows.

Her spirits are lifted, however, when she receives a phone call that informs her she could be the next contestant on a television show.

Hoping to fit into the red dress she wore to her son's graduation, she tries a restrictive diet of grapefruit, eggs and coffee.

Lacking the will power and wanting instant results, she goes to a physician, who prescribes a four-pill-a-day weight loss regime.

Thus she begins her descent into addiction and madness.

Her son Harry (Jared Leto) is a junkie of a different sort. To get his momentary fix, he and his friend Tyrone Love (Marlon Wayans) pawn Sara's television. Marianne Silver (Jennifer Connelly), Harry's rich, disenfranchised girlfriend, often joins them.

But Harry wants something more from his future, so the men decide to score a pound of uncut heroin and live off the profits. With his share, Harry wants to open a shop with Marianne where they can sell her clothing designs.

The drug-dealing business goes well for a while. But the three end up shooting up too many of the profits, emptying the once bursting box of money. Desperation finally overtakes the characters, and these three speeding trains hasten toward an inevitable pileup.

Those who felt disheartened after watching "Traffic" won't be able to stand up after experiencing Aronofsky's painful masterpiece.

People who require affirmation and that warm fuzzy ending would do best staying at home. Hope doesn't even know this quartet exists.

And the last four minutes will make the most angst-ridden being feel leveled, for it delivers one blow after another, frame after frame, until you're left numb and exhausted. It's positively devastating.

But this isn't to say this film is anything other than amazingly brilliant; proving once again that Aronofsky is one of the most talented filmmakers working today.

And, at 32, he makes many veteran directors blanch over their inadequacies.

Aronofsky not only has an exciting eye for shots and angles but also knows how to deliver an emotional death blow with his images; alternating the sublime with the earthy and visceral.

Furthermore, he's an innovative filmmaker, absorbing techniques he can use, such as the '70s split screen, then adapting it to his purpose.

And he's a wonderfully exciting storyteller with something to contribute. His feature film debut, "Pi," stands in a category all its own.

For "Requiem," he wisely recreates his creative relationship with former "Pop Will Eat Itself" guitarist and keyboardist Clint Mansell and cinematographer Matthew Libatique.

The former provides an immediately effective score, with the assistance of the Kronos Quartet, and the latter creates some stunning images.

Editor Jay Rabinowitz ("Ghost Dog") enhances the scenes' emotional impact through the use of jump and rapid cuts, putting it into a class by itself.

Anyone squeamish about watching drug films knows how important it is to shield one's eyes at the right moment, usually when the characters begin thumping the vein and the syringe.

In "Requiem," however, these grotesqueries have been avoided altogether and replaced with a clever aural and visual montage of lighters flickering, drugs boiling, cells reacting and eyeballs dilating. Kudos to the special effects team.

Special recognition goes to both makeup artist Judy Chin and hairstylist Quentin Harris for making the characters' situations seem so dire. When you see Burstyn at the beginning, you'll never imagine how she'll end up.

Although the story's message takes precedence over character development, "Requiem" still gives the audience some noteworthy performances, particularly the extraordinary Burstyn, who was absolutely robbed of her Oscar statue.

She demonstrates her affinity for her profession as she goes through the levels of emotion - from loneliness to childlike hopefulness, to paranoia and to flat-out madness. And she makes it all look so effortless.

Connelly has some truly difficult scenes but carries them away without tripping. She even makes you forget this was the young girl in Jim Henson's "Labyrinth."

Leto, who has never been too high on my list of actors, redeems himself as Harry, the film's second most tragic character. He conveys first the possibility of pulling out of the mire, then the inevitability of sinking back in.

When you mention the name Wayans, few think drama. But Marlon doesn't mug for the camera once, and even attempts some wistful moments. He's more versatile than I would have given him credit for.

Louise Lasser, Christopher McDonald and Keith David all stand out in cameo roles.

Because of its dystopian outlook, "Requiem for a Dream" is the perfect pendant film to "Fight Club" and, to some degree, "American Psycho."

Each demonstrates how unbridled consumerism, "get the results without an effort" and "look outward, not inward" mentality affect our society for the worse, leading us down the path to disillusionment and destruction.

These films present to us the souring of the American Dream.

As evidenced by his other novels, particularly "Last Exit to Brooklyn," Selby takes a long, hard look at society and exposes its greasy underbelly. In "Requiem," he excuses no one, proving that whether through food, drink, television or spending, everyone copes by self-medication.

Because of its "take two pills and see me in the morning" attitude, even the medical profession suffers some jabs. For example, Sara's doctor gives her prescriptions for speed and Valium without even examining her.

Some have compared Aronofsky to some of the greatest filmmakers the United States has to offer, such as Martin Scorsese, Stanley Kubrick and Oliver Stone. Like them, he shares a need to expose the less-than-enchanting sides of our cities and people.

Although watching "Requiem" could be likened to spending time in a war zone, those strong enough should brave the experience.

You'll emerge a different person.

Although the MPAA originally gave it a NC-17 rating, it is being circulated as unrated. However, because of its content, "Requiem for a Dream" is intended only for mature audiences. It can be seen at midnight Friday and Saturday at the Dundee Theater, 4952 Dodge St. in Omaha.

Admission is $5. Running time is 101 minutes. The DVD will be released May 22.

"Pollock" also is being shown at the theater. For more information, call 551-3595.

Requiem delivers blow to the senses was originally published in The Daily Nonpareil on 3 May, 2001. © Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil LLC