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Monday November 20, 2000

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'Requiem' offers a moving indictment of drug addiction

Headline Photo

Photo courtesy Artisan Entertainment.

Aging widow Sara (Ellen Burstyn) confides to son Harry (Jared Leto) about her painful loneliness in "Requiem for a Dream." The film is in theaters Wednesday.

By Graig Uhlin

Arizona Daily Wildcat

"Pi" director Aronofsky displays technical, cinematic talents in lyrical new film

Big-name actors, like the Julia Robertses and Tom Cruises of the world, are often the primary draw used to entice audiences to the theater. Other times it might be a clever premise or familiar characters, as in movies adapted from books or TV, that lures film-goers.

And then, when it is not any of these other factors, people go to a movie simply because of the director. Regardless of plot or cast, the signature of an esteemed director on a film, like the Steven Spielbergs and Martin Scorceses, brings with it a presold audience. Darren Aronofsky, ever since the 1998 release of his stunning debut film, "Pi," has become one of these directors whose name means more than the film.

And Aronofsky's latest film, the remarkable but overindulgent "Requiem for a Dream," never lets the audience forget that he is the star of the movie. Utilizing an encyclopedic knowledge of special effects and movie tricks - including split screens, sped-up vocals, slowed down vocals, slow motion, fast motion, hallucinations, cameras from every angle and so much more - Aronofsky more dazzles audiences with his technical wizardry than tells them a story. Seemingly desperate to prove that he is every bit the genius that the media portrayed him as following "Pi," he overcompensates as if he does not have confidence that his cast could not fully convey the emotion and intensity of the narrative.

But that could not be further than the truth. Ellen Burstyn, especially, playing a lonely, TV-addicted mother of a drug-addicted son (Jared Leto) who soon becomes addicted to diet pills herself, takes brave risks with her performance - all of which pay off. She takes Sara Goldfarb from the depths of drug addiction to the frenzied panic of her hallucinations to her endearing and nostalgic monologues on loneliness - culminating in one of the best performances of the year.

Aronofsky, however, only dulls her performance with his trickery which serves to distance the audience from his characters. Viewers are denied, except for few moments when Aronofksy takes a backseat to the narrative, any real emotional connection with the characters as they all brought to their tragic ruin by drug addiction.

"Requiem for a Dream," in case it is by now not apparent, is about drug abuse. No main character is free from addiction. Sara has her diet pills, which are just uppers and downers which send her into sleepless fits on an uncontrollable frenzy until the downers knock her out. Her son, Harry, has a heroin addiction, as does his friend Tyrone (a suprisingly good Marlon Wayans, tackling a dramatic role) and his girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly). By the end of the third act, these characters have been sufficiently destroyed by their addictions. Aronofsky has created a lyrical and artistic two-hour "Just Say No" advertisement, but thankfully, he avoids being preachy as he allows the audience to become witness to the characters' destruction.

Aronofsky, despite his look-at-me showiness, is a talented director, and those talents are showcased in "Requiem." The film, borrowing from the "requiem" in its title, is almost musical. The soaring score helps the bridge the emotional gap caused by the special effects. Aronofsky also utilizes a repeating three-second sequence to portray a character shooting up and the repetition of this contributes to the director's gifted sense of rhythm and timing. The film seems propelled not by plot, but the movement of the music that lies underneath.

Aronofsky's direction is stylish and compelling, and his visually assaulting techniques masterfully display his characters' despair and ruin. The film is without a doubt dark and bleak, delving into gritty images that might earn the film an NC-17 rating. Aronofsky wants to convince audiences that he is brave for making this film the way he does, and the movie only validates his bravery.